A Fairy Tail Christmas
by LoreliMae
Summary: Around Christmas time in the land of Fiore, Natsu is mysteriously taken away, and Lucy disappears along with him. While gone, they learn of a new evil that is threatening the entire world of Earthland. Will they be strong enough to stop it? And will they be able to do so in time for Christmas? Read on to find out. New chapter every day until Christmas, T for guild cussing. NALU!
1. What's Christmas?

**Merry Christmas! Just like I promised, I have a 12 chapter long story 12 days before Christmas. Sorry I didn't update yesterday.. I got sick (literally) and my computer was dead. I couldn't really move around, and my charger was in the car. So I'll just post the first to chapters today. There will be a new chapter every day leading up to Christmas Day. And the final chapter will be on the 25th. Hope you enjoy, here's chapter one!**

* * *

Lucy sighed as she walked into the cold guild. It was around the time of Christmas, and she rembered the last time it was snowing.. It was before they left for Tenrou. She rubbed her hands together, trying to at least get some warmth into them. She absolutly could NOT wait until they got enough money to buy back the guild hall. That place was so large, and so warm.. GAH! Lucy shook her head to clear her thoughts of warmth. '_Well it looks like I'm going to have to suck it up again today.. Maybe I'll get lucky and Natsu will stick by me.'_

_ Natsu._

Just the thought of that dragon slayer made her tremble. '_Natsu, damnit! I'll bet your not having ANY problems with this weather..' _Lucy's thoughts were cut off as she felt something fly past her head. She slowly turned, only to find a certain Ice Make wizard sprawled across the ground, along with a broken table.

"Oh, it's ON!" Gray growled, narrowing his eyes. The guild filled with the sound of Natsu's laughter.

"Can't stand the heat, Gray?" Natsu smirked.

"Don't play with me today.. Your on my turf!" Gray shot back, shooting up from his position on the ground.

"Ice Make: Lance!" Gray's magic spewed out of his hands, peircing Natsu and sending him flying into a nearby table.. Which happened to be where Erza was sitting.

"Fighting again I see?" Erza twitched.

"Now, now, Natsu.." Lucy said, stepping onto the scene. "You shouldn't be fighting during this time of year.. Or you won't get any presents!" Lucy tsked. Everything in the guild stopped. The entire guild's eyes were on Lucy, and it was beginning to give her the creeps.

"Wh-what?" She stammered, looking around at all the curious faces. But before the guild could their question, Erza threw a chair. At Natsu. Natsu turned when he heard the sound of chair against floor, just in time for it to connect with his face.

"YOU DESTROYED MY CAKE!" Erza thundered. Apparently, when Natsu flew into Erza's table, he had landed in something that tasted suspiciously like strawberries..

Lucy sighed in relief as the guild picked back up to it's usual conversations. She decided she might as well join in, before anything else dangerous erupted. She headed over to the bar, where Levy's face was stuffed into another one of her books. She frowned as she saw her friend was unavailable to chat. Lucy slumped forward on her stool, resting her head on her hands. She spotted Mira cleaning a plate, and decided she would break the silence.

"Hey, Mira, mind if I have some-"

"Hot chocolate? Sure!" Mira smiled, with her sing-song voice.

"How did you know that's what I would ask for?" Lucy said, amazed.

"Oh, it's no big deal.. Everyone's asking for it, especially when the weather is this strong." Lucy peered out the window of the small guild hall, and saw the billion, most likely trillion snowflakes falling from the sky. Sure it was pretty.. But man did that sight come with a price. She gathered the hot, fresh cup in her hands. Forgetting that it was probably to hot to drink now, she took a sip anyway.

"KYAAAAAA!" Lucy screamed. The hot chocolate went flying, right onto Levy's book.

"KYAAAAAA!" Levy screamed in unison. She dropped the book on the table as it turned brown with the hot drink.

"Aww man.. And it was getting good too!" Levy pouted.

"I'm so sorry Levy! Can I buy you a new one? Is it possible to fix? May I clean it for you?" Lucy babbled nervously.

"Don't worry, it's ok. I can just get another copy from my library. I have like three different versions of it." Levy giggled. Lucy sighed in releif. She knew how much Levy loved her books..

"So uh, Levy.." Lucy said, searching for something to follow up with.

"Yes?"

"What are you gonna get Gajeel for Christmas this year?" Lucy said, smirking. She knew that her fellow bookworm had a crush on the Iron Dragon Slayer, even if she didn't realize it herself.

Levy blinked. "What's Christmas?"

If Lucy had another hot chocolate, this time it would have dropped from her hand. "You mean you've never heard of Christmas?!" Lucy yelled, shocked. This got the attention of Natsu, who came over curiously.

"Well I know I haven't. Is it a type of food?!" Natsu said, drooling. In his.. 'Imaginative' mind, he pictured a giant krispy fried food, covered in barbaque sauce.

"I'm pretty sure it's not what you're thinking.." Lucy said, noticing the drool coming from his mouth. "Christmas is a holiday."

"You mean like Halloween?" Erza said, joining the trio.

"Yeah! Like Halloween! Except on Christmas, there's so much more. You see, there's this big fat guy named Santa. If you've been good all year, he brings you presents. And if you've been bad, he gives you coal. On Christmas eve, everyone gets together and has a big festival. You eat a big dinner, make cookies and milk, play games, and exchange gifts. And when you wake up the next morning, there's a whole bunch of presents just sitting there waiting for ya!" By the time Lucy had finished explaining, the entire guild had surrounded the little bar. Everyone peered in, intrested.

"That is.. If you're GOOD." Gray said, eyeing Natsu.

"Your one to talk.." Natsu muttered.

"What was that flame brains?!" Gray threatened.

"I SAID you're one to talk! Maybe if your ears weren't so full of ice, you could hear me clearly!" Natsu shot back.

"Why you-"

"SHUT UP!" Erza yelled. "Lucy is explaining Christmas! Please continue." Erza said, grabbing Natsu and Gray.

"Yeah.." Lucy said hesitantly. "As I was saying.. Every year at my father's mansion, we had a big celebration for Christmas. I would always stay up late on Christmas eve, hoping to see Santa fly by. But I never did. They say if you write him a letter with what you want this year, and of course if you've been good, he'll bring it to you on Christmas morning."

"Wow, Santa must be rich!" Romeo said in awe. "What's he like?"

"Well, he's pretty fat, and he wears a red suit. He has a long curly white beard, and red hat! He rides a sleigh in the sky, pulled by flying reindeer. He pops in through your chimneys and leaves presents under the Christmas tree, and in your stocking. He's really jolly and nice. At least that's what I've heard."

"So from what I understand, Santa breaks into your house and leaves stuff there.. That's kinda creepy!" Happy shuddered. Lucy sweat dropped.

"Is that true Lucy?!" Natsu exclaimed. "I'm going to find this guy, and when I do, he's gettin' a peice of my mind!" The entire guild sweatdropped.

Out of nowhere, a humming noise began.

Lucy's face went pale, and her eyes spread with shock. Her hand went to the ring that held her keys. She panicked, then came up with an excuse to leave.

"What time is it?" She asked hurridly.

"Um, I think it's 11:23." Levy answered.

"Is it that late already?! I gotta go! Bye guys!" Lucy stuttered, running out of the guild.

"What was that all about?" Gray mumbled, causing Juvia to give a deadly stare in the direction of the guild's exit.

"Do you think Santa will bring me fish, Natsu?" Happy said curiously.

"Yeah.. Poisonous ones.."

* * *

"So your sure you saw him?"

"Quite positive.. The pink hair was hard to miss."

"And where did you see him last?"

"He was headed into the western forest, up on the edge of town. But what I don't get is why a person would go into the forest with no gear."

"Perfect.."

The mysterious figure left with a flick of his cape, and headed towards the direction the man pointed.

_'They're not getting away so easily this time..'_

* * *

**So who is this mysterious man? And who is it he is after? I just love cliffhangers.. Even if most don't! Thanks for reading the story. Oh yeah, here's how I will be posting chapters: As you all know, it is now 12 days till' Christmas. I will keep posting a chapter everyday, and the final one will be up on Christmas Day. Think of it as a Christmas present from me to you! Also, if you haven't already, read my Fairy Tail Halloween Story: A Fairy's Possesion!**


	2. Natsu's Encounters

** Hey guys! LM here! Again, sorry for not updating yesterday.. I got sick and well I just couldn't update. So I decided I'd put the first to chapters up today. I really hope you like it, because I've had a major hard time writing it! Anyways.. Hope you all are shoppping for friends and family, because Christmas is only 13 days away! I know I've started. BTW! I suggest from now on listening to Fairy Tail music while reading. For this chapter, try these songs in this order: Multiflora, Fairy Tail Main Theme Slow, The Firebird and it's Powerful Destruction, Now, here's chapter two.**

* * *

Natsu clenched his fists. This was for Lucy.. He was going to do it. Even if it was embarrassing, he would do it for her. Because she was his partner. Right? Natsu shook his head and ran out the door of his and Happy's house. He had to get this done, before anyone noticed he was gone. Natsu sprinted down out of the forest where his small house was nestled, and into the town of Magnolia. Once he reached the town, he realized he had no idea what he wanted to get. What do girls like? Pretty stuff? Lucy likes clothes.. She's always worried about her's when they go on a job together. So that must mean she likes them! But what KIND of clothes? And where would he even buy them? Maybe Levy knew.. She was her best friend, right? But he couldn't let anyone know that he was buying Lucy something. It would be too embarrassing. So, Natsu decided that he would just look aorund until he saw something that caught his eye.

Natsu walked around the bustling market of Magnolia, where everyone was scurrying around in the fresh winter snow to buy gifts for friends and family. He tried to keep a low key, in case anyone saw him. As he walked down the streets, he left melted foot prints in the snow from his abnormal body heat. Natsu walked by store after store, seeing many things HE would like but none good enough to give to Lucy. As he scanned the area, he prodded his mind over and over what girls liked. They liked pretty things, thoughtful things, and fancy stuff. So what was pretty, thoughtful, and fancy? He racked his brain for the answer going over all the items on the face of the earth. And then, just as he was about to give up, Natsu saw what he wanted to get Lucy.

Natsu's eyes widened as he burst into the small store. There were so many sparkling things around him, he couldn't even remember which one he saw. He wandered around the store aimlessly, trying to figure out what he wanted to get Lucy. Finally, Natsu built up the courage to go and ask the clerk. He wanted to stay away from as many people as possible, but he was getting no where with this shopping thing. So, he awkwardly made his way up to the clerk's desk. He stood in front of it, nervously, and fidgeted with his scarf. The clerk looked up, and cleared his throat.

"Yes, sir, how may I help you?" He asked. Natsu averted his eyes, and rubbed his head.

"Um, I was wondering.. I have this friend.. And, I uh don't know what to get her. Think you can help me?" Natsu said nervously. The clerk chuckled in response.

"I see. So you're having trouble finding something for your girlfriend?" He asked.

"What's a girlfriend? I mean, Lucy's my friend, and she's a girl, so I guess she's my girlfriend." Natsu said bluntly. The clerk shook his head and smiled.

"Kids these days.. Alright, son, follow me." The clerk stood up and lead Natsu to the window display, and pulled out a small box from beneath it. He turned and handed it to Natsu, who took it gently as possible. He narrowed his eyes, examining the box.

"I don't think Luce wants a box, mister." Natsu said.

"Try opening it." The clerk said. He wasn't really sure if he was joking, or was just stupid. Natsu carefully opened the small velvet box, and his eyes widened when he saw what was inside.

Inside the box was a small ring. It was a light brown stone, just like the color of Lucy's eyes. The ring itself was made of a shimmering gold. **(The gold on the ring isn't expensive in these times) **Natsu smirked to himself. This was exactly what he was looking for! It was pretty, thoughtful, and he was positive it was fancy.

"This ring is made from a stone only found in Magnolia, called the Stone of Mages. It symbolizes the power of a bond between the mages in our guilds. Wizards often give it to their guildmates, teamates, or partners. If I'm not mistaken.. You're a mage yourself, are you not?" The clerk asked.

"Yeah! And so is Lucy. Thanks, mister clerk, this will be perfect for her!" Natsu closed the box and safely tucked it into his backpack he brought. He pulled out 30,000 jewel, handed it to the clerk, and ran out of the store. Finally, now he can go wrap this present and hide it until Christmas!

Natsu ran throughout the streets of Magnolia for the second time that day. He flew past the passerbys, and the clerks who's carts he knocked over while heading over to the forest where his home was. In fact, Natsu was running so fast, he nearly passed Mira who was walking on the sidewalk in the opposite direction of him.

"Natsu?" Mira said, stopping the mage. Natsu slowed to a stop and turned to face her.

"Oh, hey Mira!" Natsu smirked.

"What are you doing here out in the market?" Mira asked. Natsu looked away. This was the kind of thing he wanted to avoid..

"Oh, you know.." Natsu brushed off.

"You know what, never mind." Mira said, cutting him off. "I need you to come back to the guild with me!" She took his hand and started dragging him in the opposite direction. Natsu panicked.

"W-wait.. Is Lucy there?" Natsu asked hurridly.

"No. We were hoping you would know, but you weren't there. Anyways, I'm glad we found you. Let's go!" Mira began to head back to the guild. Natsu sighed in relief, knowing Lucy wouldn't see the present yet. But if she wasn't at the guild, or at her house, where was she? Oh well.. He didn't have that much time to worry about it.

* * *

Once they reached the guild, Mira filled in Natsu what was going on.

"So after Lucy told us all about Christmas, we decided we would have a Christmas party." Mira said, once Natsu joined her at the bar. "And we thought we should do something fun at the party, which is going to be 'Secret Santa'." Mira explained, smiling. Natsu blinked. More secrets? He didn't think that it would be this hard to keep the one he already has.. He didn't want another!

"What's Secret Santa?" Natsu asked worriedly.

"Basically, you draw from a hat a person. And whoever that person is, you have to get them a gift and you can tell anyone who it is you drew." Mira said. "Then, on Christmas day, everyone reveals who they got and they give eachother their presents." Natsu thought for a moment. If he got Lucy, then technically it would only count as one secret. So he HAD to make sure he got her.

"Now, write your name on this peice of paper." Mira said, handing him a slip of paper and a pen. Natsu's face lit up. Lucy's scent must be on this pen if she wrote her name as well! So he could just sniff out the right paper when he's drawing. That's it! Natsu jumped up after writing his name. He put the pen to his nose, and took a deep sniff. Then he handed it to Mira.

"Ok, let me draw a name!" Natsu said, getting 'fired up'. Mira giggled.

"Well you seem pretty excited. Ok, I'll let you draw." Mira bent under the bar and pulled out the small basket that held all of the member's of Fairy Tail's name and handed it to Natsu. "Now, close your eyes." She said.

Natsu closed his eyes, and took in a deep whiff of the basket. He bent his head closer, causing Mira to wonder what was going on in his head. He slowly reached in, and picked out a slip of paper. Natsu opened his eyes, and very cautiously opened the paper and read the name on the inside.

_Lucy Heartfilia_

And there it was. In her prim, neat hand-writing, he had drawn Lucy's name. Perfect! Now he only had to get her one gift. That saved him another lie.

"YEAH! I'M GETTIN' ALL FIRED UP!" Natsu yelled. "Thanks, Mira!" He called. Natsu ran out the doors of the guild, leaving them all in the dust. Hopefully he wouldn't encounter anyone on the way back home when he went through the town. That place was full of people, and it was bound to have SOMEONE who needed to speak to him.

* * *

Natsu flew down the path that led back to town, and he sprinted past vender after vender. People yelled and cursed at him as he flew by, knocking their things over once again. He was sure to regret this sooner or later, but he couldn't think about that now. He needed to get home. As he ran through the streets, he got more and more excited. And when he was stopped for the second time today, all that excitement melted away and turned into annoyance.

"Natsu Dragneel, is that correct?" A hooded figure said. Natsu had been stopped by the man in an empty allyway.

"Yeah, what's it to ya?" He said, putting his guard up. Being caught in an allyway was never a good thing.

"I heard you're searching for a dragon." Natsu's eyes narrowed.

"What do you know?" He said, getting serious. Who was this man, and did he know Igneel?

"I heard about a dragon that was up in the west forest." The hooded man said, standing his ground. "If you're interested, it should still be there." Natsu grunted a thanks, and jumped onto the roof of the buildings that surrounded the allyway. Even if he didn't know that man, could he trust him? Anything to do with Igneel.. He couldn't take chances. Natsu had to check it out, even if it was a trap. Natsu clenched his fists, and lept off the building and onto the next one's roof. He lept from building to building until he made it to the edge of Magnolia, next to the Western Forest that surrounded the town. Natsu jumped onto the grassy area below, and looked around the edge of the forest. He saw the sun setting in the West, and headed in that direction. He made his way deep into the forest, using his nose to guide him.

He decided he'd be in the forest awhile, since he didn't know exactly what area to be looking in. So he went ahead and unloaded his bag, and as he was dumping the things out, he noticed Lucy's present tumble out with his blanket. He quickly picked it up from the soft grass, not wanting to get it dirty. He held it tight in his hand, when he heard a soft voice call his name.

"Natsu?"

He turned, getting into a fighting stance. He watched as the figure stepped out of the bushes, and into the light of the bright fire he made next to his stuff.

"Lucy? What are you doing here?" Natsu said, sighing. He thought it was that freaky guy that had told him about the dragon.

"Oh Natsu! I was so worried!" Lucy said, catching him by surprise. She ran from the bushes, squeezing him in a tight hug. Tears streamed from her eyes. Natsu's eye's widened. Did he do something to make her worry? Or did someone else do something to her?

"Why were you worried? Lucy, what happened?" Natsu said, holding her at shoulder length. Lucy took a deep breath and wiped her eyes.

"This morning, when I left the guild after telling you all about Christmas, Loki came through the gate and told me something the spirit King saw in a vision. He saw you, and something was wrong.. And I panicked so I went to find you! I've been looking for you in this forest all day, I thought something had happened to you, stupid!" Lucy said, crying more. She covered her face with her hands, and leaned back into his chest. He put his arms around her in return, trying to comfort her.

_'Does this mean something's going to happen to me?'_ Natsu wondered. If that vision from the spirit King was true, then Lucy could also be in danger by being around him. He tightened his grip on her present, wondering if he should give it to her now. But Natsu's thoughts were interrupted. His ears perked up, and he pushed Lucy behind him.

"Natsu, what's wrong?" She said, holding on to the back of his vest. She looked at his hands, and noticed he was holding something.

"I hear something.. Flying. Lucy, stay back!" Natsu yelled. He ignited his hand, and prepared for what was coming towards them. Maybe this was the spirit King's vision, what if something happened to them?

The tree's leaves around the two began to rustle. They grew louder, and soon the air was filled with them. Natsu saw in the reflection of the moon, a large creature flying towards them. It grew bigger, and bigger until it broke down the trees and landed in front of them. The large creature towered over the two mages, and let out a mighty roar. Natsu tried to catch a glimpse of the creature, but was thrown back by the power of it. He pulled Lucy close to him, as they were sent flying into a tree. It snapped in half, landing on them. Before Natsu could even react, something grabbed him by the arm. It lifted him up out from under the tree, and he saw two things as he was being taken away into the sky. The first, was Lucy. She was unconcious under the tree, and he wasn't able to help her this time. And the second, was her present. Leaving Natsu's hand and flying to the ground as he was losing conciousness himself.

"Lucy.. I'm sorry." He whispered, as the creature flew off with him in his grasp, into the dark night.

* * *

** Tried to go off on a dramatic note there.. PLEASE let me know if I failed or not. I need feedback, guys! I need critisicm, because I want my writing to get better for all of you who read it! Anyways, chapter three will be up tomorrow night. Hope you're liking it so far. Merry Christmas :)**


	3. This Cold Evil

**Christmas is getting closer by the chapter! I'm excited, I dunno about you guys. I really wanna give my friends their presents! I didn't search around the store for a day for nothing.. So here is the list of music for this chapter. Seigi No Chikara, Eternal Eclair, and The Firebird and It's Power of Destruction. Anyways, here is chapter three!**

* * *

_Lucy knew she couldn't live without Natsu. There was no way. Who would be there to help her when she had no one else? Who would cheer her up when she was sad? And who would be her partner? Sure, she had lots of friends at Fairy Tail. But none as special as Natsu. So when she saw him being taken away, Lucy knew she had to do everything in her power to get him back. She would give up anything for him, because Natsu was her friend. And that's what friends do for eachother._

Lucy moaned, as she slowly opened her eyes. The bright light of the room where she was flooded in and consumed her. She brought her hand up to rub her aching head, when she saw that they were covered in bandadges. Lucy blinked. What had happened? Oh yeah.. The tree fell on me and Natsu.

_Natsu._

Lucy bolted out of bed. "Natsu!" She yelled. Someone else in the room lept up from the chair and grabbed her hand. It was Levy. Lucy stuggled out of her grip, running out of the room where she had been in. She ran down the hall and into the main guild hall. She looked around at all the mages, who were sitting quietly.

"Natsu! Where's Natsu?" She asked frantically. Everyone lowered their eyes. The Master stood up.

"Lucy.. About Natsu." He started. Lucy's eyes widened, knowing what he was about to say. She covered her ears with her hands desperatly trying to block out his words. They were the last things she wanted to hear. Natsu wasn't dead! It was impossible. But.. What if he was? No. Lucy would have to find him. That's it. She would go, and find him. And when she did, she would save him! Because Natsu would do the same for her. Lucy ignored the pain from her bandadges, and ran out of the guild. Gray and Erza stood up to go after her, but the master put his hand up to show them to stay.

"She needs to do this. Let her go." They both sat back down, eyes worried about their friend.

"Lucy's strong.. She can get through it." Levy said, walking out of the room where Lucy had been asleep. Her eyes however said different. She knew that Natsu ment a lot to Lucy. And that if Natsu was truely gone, Lucy would have the hardest time getting over him. Because, they loved eachother. Even if they didn't realize it themselves. Levy smiled, as she watched her blonde friend run out of the guild and into the icy wonderland of Magnolia.

_'Lucy.. Find Natsu.'_

* * *

_The scene of Lucy's ring played over and over in Natsu's mind as he dreamed. He watched motionless as he was pulled away into the sky, and Lucy's lifeless body underneath the tree. Then, the small blue velvet box tumbling towards the ground, never to be in Lucy's hands like he had wanted. He had looked so forward to seeing the look on her face when he gave it to her. And now, he wasn't sure if he'd ever see her again at all. Her light brown eyes, and strawberry hair. He liked everything about Lucy, and now it was just gone. _

"Wake up, you idiot!" Came a rough growl. Natsu's eyes snapped open. He knew that voice. But before he could think anymore of it, something heavy and sharp poked him in the chest roughly. It knocked the wind out of him.

"Hey! Whadya' think you're doing?" He said, wriggling under the heavy weight on his chest.

"You mean you don't remember?" The growl said, clearly annoyed. "You always were a stupid child. But, at least you were strong. It seems that you've improved." The voice sighed. The weight on Natsu's chest was lifted, and he jumped up so it wouldn't happen again. Natsu brushed himself off, not even looking up to see what had poked him.

"You insolent child! How dare you look down in the sight of the Mighty Igneel!"

Natsu stopped in mid-brush.

_ Igneel?_

"IGNEEL!" Natsu yelled. He broke into a large toothy grin, and ran forwards to grasp onto the giant creature's arm. "Where have you been? Do you know how long I've been looking for you?" He asked, climbing up onto his neck like he did when he was a child.

"Natsu. You mustn't get so excited. I have come bearing terrible news." Igneel said, his voice growing serious. Natsu's eyes lowered. He had been hoping for something else.

"There is a growing evil here on Earthland." Igneel started. "You see, there is something hidden deep in the Earth. It is cold, and made of ice. Yet it is living. We do not know where exactly it is, for it is causing changes all over the planet. Only we Dragons can see it, because of the height we can reach when flying. Natsu, I am here to teach you once again so that you may stop this evil." Igneel explained. He stood up, and shook his body as he did when he was preparing to fly. Igneel took off into the sky, flying all over the land of Fiore.

"Natsu. Watch the ground closely. I want you to tell me if you can see the changes in the Earth. Use all of your senses. Sight, hearing, smell, touch, and taste. They are all enhanced as you know because you are part Dragon. Use those, Natsu. And tell me what you see." Igneel flew just below the clouds so that Natsu could concentrate. Natsu took a deep breath, and scanned the ground below him. As he was looking, he noticed the Mountains. Had they always been that large? Natsu listened for the waterfalls below them. Sure, it was winter, but should the waterfalls have frozen over? He sniffed the air, looking for the smell of the grass that was covered by snow. It wasn't there.. The grass was gone. Natsu let his hand off of Igneel's scaly back, and put his hands into the clouds as they passed. They were full of more water than usual. And lastly, Natsu breathed in the air. It was icy cold. Any normal human would have trouble breathing in this freezing air. What was going on?

Ingeel flew down and landed in an empty clearing of the forest where he had found Natsu. The trees blew back, and broke as his powerful wings slowed his decent to the ground. He landed in the snow, melting it as his large claws connected with the ground. Natsu noticed, as the snow melted, there was no grass. Not even dead grass. There was dirt below the snow.. And that was it.

"Igneel, why have you come to me to do this? Why didn't you and the other Dragons do it, if you were the only ones who could see it?" Natsu asked. If this was something Igneel couldn't do, then there was no way he could do it.

"Natsu, there are somethings in this world that we are not supposed to meddle with. I cannot tell you why I left, and why the others have left. All I can say is that we aren't supposed to be here right now, and you WILL see us again one day. But now, you Dragon Slayers are the only ones who can help save the Earth." Igneel lowered his large head to the ground, so he could see Natsu face to face.

"Alright then, Igneel. I'll trust you. What do you need me to do?" Natsu smiled, showing Igneel that he could take on anything.

"I lacked to teach you one thing before I left. And that is Dragon Force. However, from the looks of you, I can see that you have already unlocked the ability to use Dragon Force. But I will teach you how to use it on command." Igneel curled his lips into a smile, and Natsu in return broke out into his big toothy grin.

"Alright! I'm gettin' all fired up!"

"NATSU!" Lucy yelled across the billowing wind. She trudged through the piling snow, determined to find him.

"NAAATSU!" She cried. Lucy stumbled in the snow that was now up to her knees. She knew it was a bad idea to go out with injuries, but she needed to get back to the place where she last saw him as soon as possible. There might be some clues.. And she would dig for them if needed. Lucy put her hand up to block the growing snowflakes, but it was no use. They continued to hit her body, each time stinging her freezing cold skin. She pulled her small jacket around her tighter. Then, she remembered.

"Horologium!" Lucy reached down to her belt to grab her keys, but tripped over a hidden log in the snow. She fell deep in, and she felt the snow covering her by the second. It was so cold, she couldn't even move.

"No.. Na-atsu.." Lucy breathed. Her sight went black, as the snow finally covered the last bit of her head.

Natsu's ears perked up. He turned his head in the direction of a noise he heard.. Did he hear his name?

"What is it, child?" Igneel said, noticing Natsu's attention.

"Nothing.. I just heard my name." Natsu replied turning back to Igneel. He was about to ask what he was supposed to do to unlock Dragon Force, but once again he heard his name. And this time, it was clear. He jumped up from where he had been sitting, and ran into the forest out of the clearing.

"Igneel, I'll be right back!" He yelled. Natsu sprinted through the woods towards the direction of where he heard his name. He was sure of it. Lucy had called for him.

"LUCY! WHERE ARE YOU?" Natsu yelled, scanning the forest and smelling the air for her scent. He picked it up, and headed into the direction where it was strongest. He stopped in the area, and looked around. Nothing. Then, he spotted something glowing off in the distance. Natsu ran over to where it was, and saw Lucy's keys. His eyes narrowed. She was somewhere nearby. He took one more sniff, and began digging near where the keys had lied in the snow. As he was digging, his hand got caught in a fabirc.

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled. He melted the snow around it, and pulled her lifeless body from the hole.

"What were you thinking? You can't go out into the snow wearing this! And especially while you're hurt! Lucy?" Natsu said, finally noticing she was unconcious. "Damn.." Natsu grabbed her keys and lifted her onto his back. As he was running back to where he and Igneel had waited, he kept trying to wake her up.

"Luce! Lucy!" He nudged her with his free hand. Nothing. "Don't you die on me! I'll get you back to Igneel.. Just you wait!"

"Ig..neel?" She whispered. Natsu's face lit up.

"Yes! You're awake! IGNEEL IGNEEL IGNEEL! I-G-N-E-E-L! I found him, Luce! You're gonna love him!" Natsu sighed with relief. "Now stay with me!"

"Natsu.." Lucy tried to keep her eyes open, but eventually passed back out again.

"Tch.. You can be such a hassle sometimes. You weirdo." Natsu said, smiling. Somehow, whenever he was with Lucy, he always felt weird when he was close to her. And when something happened to her, she made him worry more than anyone else. It was so confusing, that he just didn't even bother to think about it most of the time. But now, while he was alone, he tried to figure out what exactly it was. He remembered one time, a while ago..

_"Natsu! Hurry up, we're gonna be late!" Lucy called from the front door of her apartment. "What are you doing, anyways?" Lucy huffed, clearly annoyed._

_ "Just a second!" Natsu called. Earlier, Gray had told him that he 'loved' Lucy. But he didn't quite understand what that ment. What was 'love', anyways? So, he decided that the next time he went to Lucy's house, he would look for it in the dictionary. And if that failed, he would just ask Lucy. She knew what big words ment. _

_ Natsu flipped through the dictionary until he got to the page with the words that started with lo-. _

_ "Lovage, lovages, lovastatin, lovastatins, lovat, lovats, ah ha! Love!" Natsu exclaimed happily. _

_ "n. - A feeling of strong attachment induced by that which delights or commands admiration; preeminent kindness or devotion to another; affection; tenderness;" Natsu read aloud. _

'Well, I guess I do feel attached to Lucy, and I do admire her. She's a strong wizard! So maybe I do love her.' _Natsu thought to himself. Then, he got an idea. _'I know.. I'll try it out on her.'

_ "Oi, Luce!" Natsu said. He closed the book and ran up to the door. As they stepped out of the apartment and into the streets, he said it._

_ "Yes, Natsu?"_

_ "I love you!" He said, breaking out into a huge smile. Lucy's face went pale, and she ran away._

_ "What?" Natsu said, confused. Happy giggled. _

_ "I knew you lllllllliiiiiiiked her!" _

* * *

And to this day, Natsu still didn't understand what the word love ment. But he was sure it connected to Lucy somehow.

By the time they reached the camp, Natsu was out of breath. He collapssed in front of Igneel, who looked at him curiously.

"Natsu, why is there a human on your back?" He asked.

"Oh," *breath* "Ya know.." *breath* Natsu said, getting up to a sitting position. He picked her up once again bridle-style and carried her into their cave and gently laid her down next to the fire. He took off his scarf and put it under her head, and kept adjusting it until he was satisfied. Then, he got up and walked over to sit in front of Igneel once again.

"Honestly, Natsu." Igneel sighed. "Who is that human over there?" He said, motioning to the cave with a flick of his large tail.

"That's my teamate, Lucy. She was the one who was with me when you took me away yesterday in the forest." Natsu explained. "I guess she was looking for me.. She gets worried easily so I probably should've went back to the guild and told them I'd be gone for a while."

"I see." Igneel said. He understood what was going on. **(If ya catch my drift..)** "So, what value does this Lucy have to you?" Igneel asked nonchalantly.

"Well, she's my bestfriend and also my partner back at Fairy Tail. We go on jobs together. But she's such a weirdo, it's hard to understand her sometimes." Natsu shook his head, remembering the time when he need Virgo to help him dig out a treasure. "But, if I think about it, I don't think I would like a life without her. Ya know?" He said thoughtfully. Igneel nodded in return.

"Alright. Then, from what I understand, Lucy is special to you. Natsu, you must watch over her. And I want her to be by your side when you both go to fight off the evil that is ruining our land. When she awakens, I will have her train as well."

"What about Lucy being special?" Lucy mumbled. She sat up, rubbing her eyes.

"Oh good! You're awake. Let us begin our training." Igneel said, putting his face inside the cave.

"KYAAAAAAAAAA!"

* * *

**Oh, good old Lucy. Always fun to scare, am I right? Anyways, just so we're all clear.. in the very first chapter, the last bit about the man asking if Natsu went into the forest, that was a flashforward. And don't worry, you'll see who he is eventually! In the meantime Merry Christmas and all that holiday cheer. You get the picture :) See ya'll tomorrow!**


	4. A Living Winter

** HI WIZARD OF IZZ! Yeah, shout out to my gymnast friend :) She has SPOILERS! So treat her with respect. Anyways, chapter four here (took a while had a busy day) and I have to say this one bored me a bit so I decided to enter something a little interesting. You'll see what I mean! I've been really excited to write Lucy's reaction to Igneel, so I'm gonna have fun with this chappy x] Oh yeah, I'm not chosing a music playlist for this one. Or probably any others here on out. Just too much work, ya know what I mean? Anyways, here goes! Chapter three, A Cold Attack.**

* * *

"IGNEEL?" Lucy exclaimed, here face showing all the shock that she was experiencing.

"What?" Igneel scoffed angrily. "Did you not know we were real? Insolent child! Learn your place!" He groweled. Lucy got up and ran behind Natsu.

"You sure this is the real Igneel? I expected him to be bit.. Nicer." Lucy observed safely behind Natsu. Igneel raised his lips into a snarl.

"How dare you!"

Natsu laughed at the two. He never thought THIS was how they'd react to eachother. "Calm down you guys. Igneel's a nice guy! You just have to get to know him." Natsu said reassuringly.

"What is that supposed to mean?!" Igneel yelled furiously. He slammed his gigantic foot down on Natsu, crushing him flat.

Lucy giggled. "Nice one." Igneel raised his eyes and smiled at the young blonde.

_'So this is who Natsu has laid his eyes on. Well, not much I can do concerning her. I'll have to see how this goes..' _Igneel observed. He raised his foot, revealing a squished Natsu covered in water from the melted snow. He groaned, getting up and rubbing his head.

"Alright, Igneel. Let's get started then!"

"Started?" Lucy said curiously. "Started with what?"

Igneel shared a look with Natsu, then turned his large head to her to explain what was going on.

"You see, I came to find Natsu to train him. There has been a great evil disturbing the earth recently, and only the Dragon Slayers can stop it. I am here to help him achieve the power to do so. And as long as you are here as well, I suppose I can teach you to. I have lived long enough to know quite a bit about the Celestial World myself." Igneel explained. Lucy's eyes widened.

"You mean, you can train me?" She said, smiling. "That's great! I'll do whatever I can to help you stop the evil." Lucy put her hands on her hips. "I'm ready to start as well!"

"Alright!" Natsu cheered. "I'm gettin' all fired up!" **(Just so you know, pretty much all the snow in the clearing has melted because of Natsu and Igneel's body heat) **

Igneel smiled at the two. "Alright, let us begin!" Igneel drew in a large breath, and let out a tremendous roar. It blew the two away, spreading them out in the large clearing. Natsu brushed it off and stood up, letting his own mighty roar of fire out in response. Lucy looked at the Father and son, amazed.

_'So this is Igneel. Natsu's father.' _She smiled, happy that Natsu had finally found him. Lucy stood up, ready to start training. _'I'll do whatever it takes to become strong, for Natsu's sake and everyone else on Earthland!'_

Natsu rubbed his aching head for about the trillionth time that day. Training with Igneel was hard, but he sure was pushing Natsu. He stood up and charged at him once again, head on.

"Wrong again, Natsu! Focus! If all you do is attack blindly, then you will never be able to take advantage of your opponent! Use your size to your advantage!" Igneel yelled. As Natsu came at him once again, he easily flicked him away before he could even get close. Igneel sighed. "I thought you had gotten stronger!"

Natsu smirked. "Oh, just you wait! I've gotten stronger alright!" Natsu waited for a moment, then charged once again. This time when Igneel went to flick him, Natsu dodged his claw and jumped up onto his hand. He ran up the dragon's long arm, and onto his head.

"Na na na na, na na!" Natsu taunted. "Can't reach me when I'm up here!" He gloated triumphantly.

Igneel let out a deep laugh. "Good, Natsu, but not good enough." Igneel jumped off the ground and head-butted the cave, crushing Natsu in the process. He fell onto the rocks below, defeated.

"That's enough for today. I just wanted to test out your strength, and I think I've got a pretty good idea of it." Igneel said approvingly. "Besides, I think your friend over there is about to reach her limit as well."

Natsu looked over to where Lucy had been meditating on a rock. Capricorn stood next to her, arms crossed eyes intent. Natsu decided it was a good idea to take a brake, and headed over to the cave.

Lucy was levitating above the rock, clearly concentrating hard. Natsu peered around the cave at her, curious as to what she was doing to train. He slowly built up the courage to go and ask the buff Capricorn who stood silently nearby.

"So," Natsu said awkwardly lumbering over to him. "training going well?"

Capricorn muffled a yes in reply. It seemed as though he was more meditating himself than helping out Lucy. Natsu huffed in annoyance. They were no fun!

He cautiously made his way over to Lucy, who's eyes were shut tight in concentraiton. Her face was clear of all emotion, and she seemed to be at peace. For now. He stared at her in awe, amazed how she was able to concentrate during all the noise he and Igneel made trained. Then, mischevious smile crossed Natsu's face, as he devised a plan. Maybe, if he was lucky, she would be asleep and wouldn't notice him. He ran back to the cave and grabbed a handful of berries, and smushed them into a paint-like substance. He dabbed his finger in it, ready to go.

Natsu ran back over to where Lucy levitated, and slowed down when he came closer. He checked one more time to see if Capricorn was looking, then slowly inched his finger covered in paint towards Lucy's face. She twitched.

"Natsu, what do you think you're doing?" Lucy said, cracking an eye open. She flopped back down onto the rock angrily. Natsu gulped. This was not good for him. "It's not like I'm asleep! I could hear you running around like a maniac. You sounded like a heard of elephants!" Lucy said, getting up in frustration. She clenched her fists and stepped off the rock towering over the cowering Natsu. "It's already hard enough to meditate while your letting yourself be thrown around by Igneel!"

"She has a point." Igneel said from inside the cave. "You should leave her be."

Natsu slowly backed away from the evil aurora that surrounded her. "O-ok.." Lucy sighed and stepped back onto the rock in annoyance. She closed her eyes, and got back into position. Natsu sadly trudged back to the cave and sat beside Igneel, who looked at him with humor.

"You humans. You never cease to amuse me." He said returning back to his nap. Natsu let out a breath, and closed his eyes as well.

_'I wish Happy was here.. It's so boring without him. I wish he could've met Igneel.'_ Natsu thought sadly. He missed his furry little friend. They had grown up together, so it felt weird being without him. He cracked an eye open, looking at Lucy. She looked so calm. How could she stand to do something so boring for so long? What did meditating even do anyways? Did it help you get stronger? If so, maybe he could try. Nah. It's too boring. What if he did it, but while listening to music. No, even better what if he-

"Natsu. Would you quit staring at me?" Lucy said, opening her eyes. She glared at him. Natsu came back from his thoughts, and panicked.

"I wasn't staring at you!" He said defensively. "Tch. I'm going for a walk." Natsu said, standing up. Igneel nudged him with his long tail.

"While your out, head to the market and pick up the Magic book titled 'Magical Substances'. But don't let anyone see you! If you do, run away. You cannot have any contact with your guildmates. They must not know of this. Lucy is an exception because she saw me take you, but anyone else stay clear of." Igneel ordered. "Now go! And don't be slow." He closed his eyes once more and continued to nap.

"But what if Erza stopped me.. I would never outrun her!" Natsu said worriedly, thinking of the scary Requip mage and what she would do if she ever found out where he was.

"Then I guess you just can't run into her, can you?" Lucy said.

Natsu sighed. It would be a long walk to the market, even if he could find his way there. It would be so much shorter if he had Happy with him! "Alright. See you later!" Natsu took off into the forest, not really knowing where he was going. He just followed the scent of food. Of course, that could be anything. But food usually came from a store, or someone's house. Either worked. As he ran further into the forest, the snow grew more and more thick. He made holes in it causing his running to get harder and harder until finally he was just jumping from each foot to the next the snow was so high. After running for a while, or whatever you would call what he was doing, Natsu decided to take a break.

"There has GOT to be a better way to do this." He complained, sitting on the branch of a tree. Natsu climbed to the top to get a bird's eye view of where exactly he was. He saw far away the clearing where Igneel and Lucy were. He could tell by the rising smoke from Igneel's nostrils. He looked in the opposite direction, and happily saw the Magic Council's building. He was a little over halfway there.

Natsu slid down to the branch he had been sitting on, and was about to continue running when he heard a voice.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

Natsu's ears pricked up, and he looked down to see where the voice came from. No one was there. Had it just been his imagination? No. It was much to clear for that.

"Who's there?" He yelled. "Show yourself!"

"It's just so pretty, sparkling in the sunlight. I'm glad that this time it will stay forever." The voice said. It was a man's voice, and it was smooth like the untouched snow that surrounded him.

"I said who's there?!"

"Why so angry, Natsu?" The man said. He stepped out from behind a tree. He was about Natsu's age, and a terrifying figure indeed. The man's skin itself was an icy blue, as if he had frozen to death. His short spiky hair looked as if it was made of snow. He wore a fluffy white cape, with a brown belt around his waist. His trousers were a light blue, a little lighter than his skin. His shirt was a dark blue, with another light blue vest over it. His eyes were nothing but black dots, surrounded by white. They gave him somewhat an eerie appearance, as if it was unpredeictable what he would do next.

Natsu growled angrily. Who was this guy?

"My name is Korudo. I am what you call 'a Living Winter'. That is how most people refer to me. I am made of ice and snow itself, and everywhere I go the winter follows me. " Korudo said. As he stepped out of the shadows, Natsu noticed that around him glistening snowflakes fell creating a pile of snow around him. He grinned, and stuck out his hand. "Care to join me?"

"Sorry, but I have this thing against Ice wizards. Nothing personal." Natsu growled, reffering to Gray. He was ONE person Natsu didn't miss from the guild.

"That's too bad. Maybe, next time I see you, I'll just force you to join me anyways. I would love your company. See you soon, Salamander." Korudo flicked his cape, and disappeared in a shower of snowflakes.

"Creep. I wonder, was that the monster Igneel was talking about?" Natsu thought aloud. He continued his journey to the Market, thinking about the strange 'Living Winter'.

As Natsu reached the market, he realized that once again he didn't know where to look for what he wanted. Natsu rarely went into town, and usually when he did Lucy went with him. So he didn't really know what to do whenever he was there alone. Natsu walked on the empty streets. Thankfully, since it had been snowing so much lately, everyone sane had gone inside. He shoved his hands in his pockets annoyed. Why would Igneel send him to get a stupid magic book, anyway? Wasn't Igneel already pretty knowledgable on the subject? He narrowed his eyes. He didn't like being in the market alone. It was just too uncomfortable.

Natsu looked around at all the different shops. A magic book could be in a number of places. The Library, a Magic Shop, a regular vender, or even a creepy old man could have it in an allyway. What was Igneel thinking not telling him where to look? Sometimes, his methods just made no sense. He decided that he would just have to look in every possible place until he found it, starting with the Library.

Natsu peered inside the window, looking to see if it was still open.

"Stop foggin' up my glass and get yer young self in here!" An old man yelled from inside the shop. Natsu jumped back in surprise he pushed the door open, causing the entrance bell to jingle above him. He looked around at the vast assortment of books and scrolls. Hopefully, one of these was the 'Magical Substances' book he was looking for.

"So you come here to rent a book, or just stand there like an idiot?" Said the old man once again. Natsu glared at him. He was sitting behind the desk, his feet propped up and arms crossed in front of his chest.

"Stop your yellin'!" Natsu said, annoyed. "Listen old man." He walked up to the desk and slammed his hands down on it. "I'm looking for a book called 'Magical Substances'. Know of it?"

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Depends. You gunna show yer elder some respect?" He said, replying with a sly grin. Natsu grit his teeth.

"I guess so, old man."

"Then in that case, lemme' have a look!" The old man took his feet off the desk and kicked the small swing door open. He lumbered over to the Non-Fiction section, and towards the 'Magic' area. He scanned the large book cases, then pulled over a ladder in front of it. He slowly climbed up it, grabbing the large book from the very top shelf. It came out, covered in dust. The old man blew it, spreading the dust everywhere. The two both broke into a coughing fit, trying to get the grimy dust out of their throats. He threw it onto the table below, then hobbeled back down to look at it.

"All your's, sonny! Try not to rip it." He said.

"As if I would!" Natsu retorted angrily. "Besides, it's not for me. It's for my dragon."

The old man raised an eyebrow. "I did get the idea something was wrong with you. Fine then, bring it on home to your 'Dragon' or whatever. Just bring it back sometime soon and make sure you don't rip it, you nun skull!" The old man headed back over to his desk and dismissed Natsu with a slight wave of his hand. "Now get outta' my shop!" Natsu groweled angrily. He stormed out of the shop with the heavy book safe in his hands.

"Annoying old man.."

* * *

**And that's it for today! I dunno about you guys, but it seemed kinda short to me. Anyways I have to get up and 1 to post this! Ya'll owe me. Since I'm turned, I'm gonna go ahead and say night. Night, see ya tomorrow!**


	5. Plan For Action

**And we have now officially reached the midway point for the story! *Celebrates* Well, I guess it's not really something to celebrate.. Unless you don't like the story :( But I won't hold it against you! Once again, I wasn't sure what to write for this chapter. Then it hit me like a rock! (Literally..) SO after this chapter we should be heading onto the action part of the story :) Here goes! Chapter Five!**

* * *

"Igneel!" Natsu called, pushing away the snow covered tree. It sent down a flood of wet snow, covering him completely. It didn't take long for it to melt though, allowing him to shake off what was left.

Lucy and Igneel were sitting in the cave, oblivious to the fact that Natsu had returned. They were so caught up in their conversation that they didn't even notice the soaking wet Dragon Slayer marching up to them with a giant book under his arm.

"Seriously?" Lucy said, laughing at Igneel's statement. She giggled some more, then turned to Natsu.

"Oh, your back already? I forgot you left." She said, clearing her throat.

"Tch.." Natsu replied annoyed. "I brought the book. You'll never guess who I saw on the way there!" He said, slamming the book down in front of Igneel's giant.. 'Hand'. He growled.

"Natsu! That does not belong to you! Treat it with respect, idiot!" Igneel raised his spiked tail and sent it crashing down onto him, making a dent in the cave floor. He groaned, squirming to get back up. Lucy giggled again.

"Natsu, you never told me you used to sleep with a stuffed toy!" She said, bursting out into laughter. Natsu's temper rose.

"Igneel! Why the hell would you tell her that?!" He said angrily and embarrassed. Lucy fell off the rock she was sitting on, she was laughing so hard.

"And.. *laugh* and then that time.. *giggle* when.. when.." Lucy couldn't even finish her sentence she was laughing so hard. Natsu slammed his fists around angrily.

"KYAAA! WHY WOULD YOU TELL HER ABOUT THAT?" He said, breaking down to his knees in frustration. Lucy regained her composure and wiped her teary eyes.

"Oh, man. Anyways you said you ran into someone. Who?" She asked curiously with a slight smile still on her face. Natsu looked away, still angry over what they said.

"It was that guy. The bad guy you were talking about, Igneel."

Igneel's face hardened into a serious look. "You saw him? Did he take any action?"

Natsu sighed and rubbed his head. "He said something about me 'joining him for a walk' or somethin' like that. Beats me. He was a real creep though. Called himself a Living Winter. But his name was Korudo." Natsu explained. "Then, he said next time he might just have to force me to join him. Whatever that means. As if he could make me do somethin' anyways! I'll beat his frozen ass up!" He yelled, punching his fist into his hand.

Igneel thought for a moment. "Natsu, we need to start training on unlocking you Dragon Force soon. I fear he might try something, and we won't be ready." The Dragon said thoughtfully. "Lucy, I think it would be best if you got back to training." Igneel advised.

"Right." Lucy nodded. She summoned Capricorn, and they headed off way out into the clearing to stay out of the way of their training.

Igneel turned his attention back to Natsu. "Natsu. As you may already know, to unlock Dragon Force your body needs to absorb a strong magical substance. You remember the times you have past achieved this state, you ate something out of the ordinary. The first through the consumption of Etherion, and the second from Jellal's Flame of Rebuke. I am going to teach you a way to create a substance strong enough to activate your Dragon Force." Igneel explained. Natsu nodded, excited to get started.

"And how exactly do I do that?"

"Be patient child!" Igneel roared. Natsu sighed.

"Ok.."

"To create this substance, you must first learn of the properties of the magic things you have already absorbed. They each have one property in common: Magical Energy." He said. Natsu nodded, listening intently. "Everything around us has Magical Energy. The trees, the snow, and even the ground itself. What most people don't know is that you can draw this power from the objects. And if Dragon Slayers combine it with their element, then they can create a substance that can activate Dragon Force."

Natsu looked at Igneel, in awe. He had never thought of taking the Magic Power from around him. And even if he did, he had no idea how.

"Alright! I'm gettin' all fired up. Let's do this! I'm ready to learn!" Natsu yelled, jumping to his feet, only to be hit by Igneel's tail once again.

"I said be patient! Listen to me!" He growled. "To take the Magical Energy from the things around you, you need patience."

Natsu froze. This couldn't turn out well..

"They way to extract it is by being patient. The user focuses on the object they wish to take from, and visually imagine it. That will reveal the power, and you will be able to combine it with your element." Igneel said, finally getting out what he had to say. "BUT! It takes time to extract it, and to learn how to do so. It is easier if the thing you are taking from has to do with your element, such as the lava from a volcano, but it will still take time. With practice however, this time can be shortened. So that is why we need to begin now. Can you do this, Natsu?" Igneel asked.

Natsu smirked. "I can do ANYTHING! After all, I am your son, aren't I?" He asked. Igneel nodded with a slight smile.

"Good. Now prove it!"

Lucy looked over at the two from where she had been practicing, and smiled.

_'Like father like son..'_

* * *

"Again!" Igneel commanded. Natsu huffed in annoyance.

"How long is this gonna take? It's BOOORING!" He complained. Igneel narrowed his eyes.

"Did you not hear what I was saying earlier? Listen when I am speaking to you! This. Takes. PATIENCE!" He roared in frustration. "Honestly, Natsu! You need to understand that! You can't do everything with speed. Sometimes you just need to take your time, and go slow." Igneel said taking a deep breath.

Natsu closed his eyes and let out a low whine. He pictured the floating Magic Power from the tree in front of him, and focused on it hard. He went over all the details he could think of that had to do with it. Then, it brightened. Igneel's lips slipped into a small smile, and he nodded approvingly.

"Well done."

Natsu cracked an eye open, and this time saw the actual, visible Magic power rising from the still tree. He broke into a large toothy grin.

"Hey, Luce! I did it!" He yelled happily. Lucy looked over at the dancing Dragon Slayer.

"That's great, Natsu! I knew you could do it!" She replied happily.

"Now Natsu, hurry up and combine your power with it before it is absorbed by another object." Igneel instructed. Natsu took a deep breath, and let out a stream of fire combining with the raw power. Gravity pushed the fire down, and onto the barren ground.

"Now, Natsu before you-"

Natsu grabbed the fire, and stuffed it into his mouth.

"YOU IDIOT!" Igneel roared. "The transformation is terribly painful if you don't wait a second to eat it!" He yelled angrily. Natsu blinked.

"Cra-AGHHHHHHH!" He screamed in agony. Lucy jumped up from where she had been meditating, and ran over to Natsu in a panic.

"Natsu!" She cried worriedly. All she could do was watch him as he squirmed on the ground in pain from the power. Her face displayed the horror she felt inside, watching him suffer from the terrible pain of his transformation.

"Is there anyway I can help him?" Lucy asked desperately. Igneel shook his head.

"Natsu needs to learn from his rash mistakes. He can't always get away with doing things his way. He needs to learn how to be patient, and listen. Leave him be. Natsu will be fine." Igneel said, his face hard. It was obvious though that by the tone of his voice, Igneel showed sympathy for him. It wasn't easy being a Dragon Slayer. He, of all people, would know.

Lucy watched Natsu with a sad expression. There had to be SOMETHING she could do. So, she did the only the she could think of. Lucy reached out and took hold of Natsu's rough hands. They were warm, just as she thought they'd be. Natsu's thrashing calmed for a bit, then he covered his face for a moment. Natsu removed his hand, and let out a mighty, ear piercing roar. Lucy stood back, in awe of his power. She smiled, knowing that everything would turn out better in the end. Natsu was surrounded by flames, and when he stood up, had scales that were similar to that of a Dragons. Igneel smirked approvingly, and raised himself to his full height.

"Congratulations, Natsu. You have achieved Dragon Force." Natsu opened his eyes, and looked at his arms that had intricate scales spreading up his arm and onto his face. He clenched his fists, observing his new found power.

"This is awesome! I feel a thousand times stronger!" Natsu said, amazed even at himself. He looked around, then at Lucy.

"Hey, Luce! Come and try to attack me!" He said, grinning.

Lucy's face went pale. "Are you kidding? You'd rip me to shreds! Go attack a tree, or something." She frowned. Natsu pouted.

"Natsu, come and try to attack me. Let's see just how much stronger you have become." Igneel ordered. Natsu grinned, getting into a fighting position.

"Your idea, not mine!" He warned. Then, he launched forwards. When Igneel went to bock his attack, Natsu dodged and went the opposite way. He flipped off the wall of the cave and punched Igneel in his large snout.

"Ha! I hit you!" Natsu said, cheering. Igneel frowned.

"Don't be so cocky." He let out a roar of fire, and Natsu tried to block it but failed. He flew into the trees, knocking down three in a row.

"You may have won the battle, but the war is not yet over!" Natsu yelled. He got up then headed back over to the clearing, once again soaked from the melted snow. Lucy laughed, knowing that they were going easy on each other. She admired the fact that they could fight like this, and still be best of friends.

"Well, while you continue to do.. Whatever you're doing.." Lucy started, "I'm going to head back to my training so that I can actually stand a chance when we go after this guy." Before she could walk off back to join Capricorn, Igneel stopped her.

"Wait, Lucy. We need to come up with a plan as to what we're going to do to attack Korudo." Igneel said. "I don't want to take any chances, so lets go ahead and think this out in advance. Natsu, get your lazy butt over here." Igneel said, wrapping his tail around Natsu's waist and plopping him down in front of him. Lucy walked back over and sat down next to Natsu, in front of Igneel.

"Natsu. Tell me more about your encounter with Korudo." Igneel asked.

Natsu racked his brain for a moment, thinking hard about his encounter. "WELL, he seemed really cocky like he knew he would win. And he wouldn't stop going on about how he was glad the snow would last forever." Natsu told Igneel.

Igneel thought for a second. "So it seems as though he has already decided that he will succeed. That, or he already has."

"What?!" Lucy exclaimed. "You mean that winter this year is probably permanent?"

"It could be that. However, I'm willing to bet that if we can take down Korudo, it will break the curse on the Earth." Igneel explained. "So, we need to think ahead if that is incorrect. First off, though, we need to think of a way to find him. Obviously, if we can't locate him, then we can't defeat him."

"That's easy! I still remember the smell that guy put off.. It was water, but something was off about it.. I'll bet if I went back to the place where I saw him, then I could sniff the idiot out!" Natsu tried.

"But, why go looking for me when I've already found you?" Came a smooth voice from above them. Natsu's eyes flashed to the figure that was standing above them on top of the cave.

"Korudo!" Natsu yelled angrily. "What are you doing here?!"

"Well, isn't it obvious? I couldn't resist learning more about you. You were just so odd, that just HAD to come see you again. And it appears as though you have some friends." Korudo said, gazing over at Igneel and Lucy. His eyes stopped on the young blonde. "How unusual. You are a Dragon," he motioned to Igneel, "and you are PART Dragon, yet you have a human girl with you."

Natsu's eyes narrowed at the mention of Lucy. "Leave her out of this!" He growled, stepping in front of her protectively.

"Natsu.." Lucy said, her eyes widening. _'Why is he so worried?'_

"Oh, but she's just so cute!" Korudo's face turned horribly evil. "It would be a terrible shame if something were to.. Happen to her." He cocked his head, staring at Lucy with curious eyes. Natsu growled threateningly.

"I said leave her out of this!" He yelled.

"My, my. Someone's got anger issues! You should really calm down. Oh yes, and I forgot to mention. I seem to recall that last time we met, you'd be coming with me? Well, it appears as though you are to stupid to be in my presence. So I think I'll just be taking the girl with me. But don't worry, I won't take her just yet. It will be when you least expect it." Lucy's eyes narrowed.

"Who do you think you are?!" She yelled angrily. Natsu turned to her in surprise. "I'm not just some 'prize' that you two can fight over! I'm a person, and I can make my own decisions!"

"Well you have a temper as well, missy. I'll bet it's because you're around that ruffian so much. You really should consider joining me." Korudo persuaded.

"As if! Natsu's my partner, and there's no way I'd ever leave him or anyone else in Fairy Tail!" Lucy replied furiously. Natsu smiled, then turned his attention back to Korudo.

"That's right! So how about you and me settle this with a fight?" Natsu asked.

"Sorry, but I must return. I have to get back to work on my masterpiece, which is covering this world in my beautiful snow. But mark my words.. I'll be back for you, miss Lucy." He said. He flicked his cape, and disappeared in a flurry of snowflakes.

* * *

**Aw snap! I have a great idea for tomorrows chapter.. Better write it down. This Korudo guy bothers me. Why did I even create someone like him? Oh well. Anyways, I'm excited! Tomorrow I don't have practice and I can finish chapter 6 and also get a head start on chapter 7. That way, it can be a bit longer. I try and keep them 2,000 plus. Alright then! See ya tomorrow!**


	6. Go Home, Lucy

**Alright, I was excited to write this chapter! I guess you could say I'm all. FIRED UP.. HA.. HA.. Heh.. Yeah. Anyways I finally got a day off to write so I'm going to try and get started on tomorrow's chapter early. That way, it won't be as rushed.. Ok! I'm gonna skip all this jazz and get to the chapter cuz I'm EXCITED!**

* * *

Natsu's eyes softened as he saw Korudo gone. If he was threatning Lucy, then he had do something about this guy. There was no way he would let him harm her.

"Natsu?" Lucy said, looking over at him. "Are you ok?" Natsu kept his head down, face emotionless.

"Lucy. I want you to go back home." He paused. "To the guild."

Lucy blinked. "You're kidding, right?" She asked, surprised.

"No. It's not safe here. I can't risk him getting you." Natsu continued. "I made up my mind. Grab your keys, and leave." He narrowed his eyes, because it was getting harder and harder to talk. To be honest, Natsu didn't really want Lucy to leave at all. But just the thought of her being taken away from him, made him feel all twisted up inside.

Lucy stood there, in shock. Igneel sat by watching silently. "No!" Lucy yelled. "Did you not just here what I said? I'm not just something you can decide what to do with! I can make my own desicions, Natsu!" She huffed. "And I've decided I'm staying with you, tell help you defeat Korudo."

Natsu turned, frustrated. "Look!" He yelled. Lucy jumped back.

_'Did Natsu just.. Yell at me?' _She thought in disbelief.

"I don't care if that's what you've decided. I'm thinking about what's best for you!" Natsu gulped. He didn't want to say this next part, but if it ment Lucy being safe.. "Besides, your distracting me from my training. Go home, Lucy." Natsu turned his head away from her, not wanting to meet her eyes. They looked so sad. Igneel narrowed his eyes.

_'Natsu.. You foolish child. When will you ever learn?' _

Lucy softened a bit, as a sad expression crossed her face. "Oh. If.. if that's it. Alright." She moved a strand of hair out of her face, embarrassed, then walked over to where her jacket was lieing next to the fire. She put her arms through, and zipped it up tight. The air was thick with the silence that surrounded them all. No one moved a muscle. Just before she exited the clearing, Lucy stopped. "Natsu.. Make sure you come back in one piece." Then, she disappeared into the forest. Gone back to the guild.

Natsu turned around once to see if she was gone, then turned his head back. He slumped into a sitting position, and put his hands on his knees.

Igneel was the first to speak. "Natsu, what were you thinking?" He asked shaking his head.

"Well it's not like I had a choice! Korudo was going to go after her! And just something inside me couldn't live with that I guess." He said, shaking his head. "I don't know. This whole thing is just so frustrating! Every time I think about what could happen to her, I just get this funny feeling, and it won't go away!" He stood up angrily. "Let's get back to training."

* * *

Lucy trudged through the forest, eyes on the brim of tears. _'Natsu, you idiot! I don't get you! Why do you have to make everything so difficult for me?' _She thought. Lucy angrily brushed the tears out of her eyes. _'I want to help you, so why can't you just let me do that! I wanted to be with you when you went to fight Korudo! This isn't just your fight, it's mine too!'_ She hurried her pace, not wanting to get caught in the snow. She thought of all the times that she had tried to tell Natsu that she would stay with him. On Tenrou when they were fighting Kain, when she stopped him in Edolas from attacking the King, and when she saved him from falling off the waterfall. Each time, she wanted him to know that she was there for him. Just as he was there for her.

*Flashback* **(I LOVE WRITING FLASHBACKS)**

_ "NATSU! RUN!" Lucy yelled across the empty field, from her positon on the ground. Lucy knew that she stood no chance against the monster if she didn't have her keys. But she would have to do. Natsu was running low on magic energy, and he wasn't going to last much longer._

_ "What?! Are you crazy?!" Natsu yelled back, dodging the huge creature's attacks. He missed a beat and the monster hit him square in the chest, sending him flying back into a nearby tree. Lucy winced as she heard the snap, and saw the tree come crashing down on top of Natsu. She couldn't stand it any longer. _

_ Lucy staggered to her feet, and limped over to where the monster was slowly making it's way towards Natsu who was still stuck under the tree._

_ "Hey ugly! Don't mess with my friend!" Lucy yelled. She pulled out Fleuve d'étoiles and slung it around the beast's arm. She released what was left of her magic power into it, causing the monster to scream in agony and fall to it's knees. The magic continued to surge, continuously electricuting the beast. _

_ "NATSU!" She screamed, staggering but staying up. "GO! GO TO THE TOWN AND GET FIRE!" Lucy closed her eyes and bit her lip so she wouldn't fall, causing blood to flow free from the bite. Natsu saw, and as much as he didn't want to leave Lucy, he understood. Natsu craweled out from under the giant tree, and ran over to the town that was nearby._

_ 'Good.. He'll be ok.' Lucy thought, just as she passed out from the lack of magic power. The beast fell down, wriggling on the ground in agony. 'Natsu.. hurry.'_

_Natsu pushed his feet farther and harder the more steps he took. 'I need to get back to Lucy, quick! I'm not sure how much longer she'll last giving out her magic power like that.' Natsu burst into the cleared out town, and looked around hurridly for a place that would have a fire going. He opened many doors along the street of the main section, until he finally found a house that still had a fire going in the fireplace. They had been cooking some meat for dinner, but it wouldn't be cooked by the time they got home thanks to him. Natsu gulped down the fire hungrily, and flexed his muscles feeling re-energized. _

_ "Alright! Now, back to save Lucy. I'm coming for ya, beast!" Natsu kicked the door down and sprinted back out the town's mainstreet and into the empty, barren feild that surrounded it. When he got back, it was not a pretty sight._

_ "LUCY!" Natsu yelled. The beast turned, pausing his kick in mid swing. He had apparently been attacking her while she was unconcious from the lack of magic. Natsu snapped. _

_ "How dare you! Leave Lucy alone!" Natsu roared. He launched off his powerful legs, and ingited his fists in mid air. "FIRE DRAGON'S CRUSHING FLAME!" Natsu yelled. He rocketed into the giant creature, sending him flying into the forest, the trees breaking his fall. The monster disappeared, shattering into a million peices. _

_ "Stupid puppets.. Why can't their masters put them away when they're done? Right, Luce?" Natsu said. Then, he remembered. "Crap! Lucy!" He jumped up from where he had landed on the ground, and ran over to where Lucy lay beaten and bloody on the ground. That beast sure took a number on her after he left.. He would never do it again._

_ Natsu lifted her head, checking to see if she was still breathing. He sighed with relief as he heard her raspy breathing after a moment. _

_ "Come on Luce, wake up!" Natsu said frustrated. It was no use.. She was out cold. He had to let her rest until she regained her magic power. But he couldn't help but worry about her. She looked like she was in a lot of pain, which she proably was after taking a beating and not even being able to defend yourself. Natsu lifted her up onto his back, then headed back to the village where Happy had been waiting for them. _

_ "What happened?!" He asked, flying over to where Natsu had laid Lucy down on a villager's bed. _

_ "She distracted the monster so I could go and get some fire. And when I came back, he had done this to her. Sneaky bastard. It's so cowardly to attack when someone can't defend themself!" Natsu explained angrily. Tears came to Happy's eyes. He didn't like seeing Lucy like this any more than Natsu did._

_ "Happy, I need you to fly her back to the guild. I'll catch up to you guys soon after you get there. Bring her to Mira, she'll know what to do." Natsu said, standing up._

_ "Aye!" Happy said. He took hold of the back of Lucy's shirt, and flew off out the window and back to the guild. _

_ Natsu sighed. "She'll make it.. I know she will."_

_When Lucy woke up a little while later, she had forgotten what happened. She was still so tired, that she didn't even have the strength to open her eyes and see who it was that was sitting next to her. She felt better, knowing someone was with her. Then, she realized that the person was talking._

_ "..I mean, it's not like I wanted to leave you or anything, but I knew if I wanted to take care of that monster I needed to go get some power. And when I came back, it was too late.. He had already hurt you." The person's voice tightened up as they continued to talk. "I felt so bad. I hadn't been there to protect you, Luce. It's my fault.. If only I had enough magic power. You just looked so helpless when you were laying there, the monster beating you with no mercy. I just wanted to beat him to the next continent!" They sighed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is.. thanks. Thanks for stickin' your neck out there for me, so that I could defeat the monster. I know that I'll always be able to count on you!" _

_ "Your welcome, Natsu." Lucy whispered. She slowly opened her eyes, and looked at him. He broke out into a big smile._

_ "Your awake! Awesome!" Natsu yelled excitedly. "How are you feeling?" He asked. _

_ "A lot better.. Thanks to you."_

* * *

Lucy clenched her fists. _'If you can count on me so much, then why would you tell me to leave?!' _Lucy thought angrily. She couldn't stand it. What was she thinking, leaving? There was no way she was going to let Natsu fight someone on his own! What if something were to happen to him? She would blame herself for not being there. That's it.

"NATSU!" She yelled. Lucy turned on her heels, and began the long run back to the clearing. As she finally broke through the trees, Natsu stopped in mid-swing. Literally. Lucy stood there, panting. She caught her breath and headed over to where Natsu had been training with Igneel.

"You're back." Ingeel said, trying to lighten the mood.

Lucy stalked over to Natsu, who was trying not to show the fear he had inside.

"YOU!" Lucy yelled. She poked Natsu roughly in the chest. He stumbled back, afraid of what she would do to him.

"Me..?!" He asked.

"There is NO way I'm about to leave you. Natsu, you're my friend and I want to be there to help you when I can. I want you to be able to depend on me, like I depend on you. That's what friends are for, right? So let me help you. And together, we'll take down Korudo once and for all."

Natsu sighed, knowing he didn't stand a chance against her. "Alright. We're in it together, Luce! You and me!" Natsu said, high-fiving her. They each broke out into a smile.

After a moment, Igneel broke the happy silence. "Alright. Can we get back to training now?"

* * *

**Sorry for the short chapter.. I was being an idiot. On my ONE DAY off, I was being a procrastinator and waited till the last minute to start the story. And NOW, I have to go to bed. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE! Tomorrow, we finally begin the fighting half. I need you guys to be honest, now. I want your feedback on how I do for writing the fight scenes. Personally, I think I'm bad at them. So I want you all to help me as fellow writers! Alright. See ya tomorrow, which is MY LAST DAY OF SCHOOL THEN CHRISTMAS BREAK FINALLY!**


	7. Thump

**AND it's finally here. Yes, after the long wait of an entire day, the chapter is now up. And following it is the eighth chapter which I will do tomorrow, for it is now 3:23 AM and I'm about to fall asleep. Sorry I didn't update yesterday, I was procrastinating and doing some rebellious stuff against my coach. (Love ya, Morgan!) Anywho I have finally begun the action part of the series. Somehow I need to get the battle to stretch throughout at the most 3 chapters.. Don't know how, but I will. *Cry* I just watched episode 162 of Fairy Tail.. I was more excited about Natsu had carried Lucy into the infirmary than the fact that she was the Kingdom's Target. Ahem. Ok, hope you enjoy!**

"Again, you idiot! If you did it once you can do it again!" Igneel yelled once again getting frustrated. "Focus on seeing the energy rising from the earth."

Natsu struggled to get his power to take magic from the grass, and after many more tries, he finally achieved Dragon Force again.

"Very good." Igneel sighed, then mumbled "Took him long enough.. " Natsu narrowed his eyes at the dragon.

"Hey, I was trying my best! At least I got it."

"You need it consistently. You think you can beat Korudo without Dragon Force?"

"I can beat anyone the way I am now! I just wanted to learn it so I can show off to Gray."

"You ignorant child! Why must you be so cocky? It will be your end one day!"

"There's no one that can beat me! Even you!"

"Would you like to test that theory out?"

"Let's go!"

"ENOUGH!" Lucy shouted from inside the cave. "STOP YOUR STUPID BICKERING AND LET ME CONCENTRATE! I HAVE TO TRAIN TOO, YA KNOW!" She glared angrily at the two, who cowered in fear. Igneel didn't show it, but man he felt it. No wonder Natsu let her stay.. He couldn't even stand up to the girl himself!

Igneel cleared his throat. "You're right, we shall let you concentrate. Please continue." He said. Igneel looked over at Natsu, as if to blame all of it on him. Natsu gave a mean look back, wanting the last glare.

"Natsu. Again. We will keep this up until you can transform regularly." Igneel commanded, after taking a moment to compose himself. Natsu huffed and reluctantly began the process once again.

After a long while, Natsu finally gained control over his Dragon Force powers. And when he did, he was so worn out that he didn't even make it back to his bed in the cave. He just fell asleep in front of the tree that he repeatedly stole energy from. Lucy finally finished her training as well, and opened her eyes to a missing Igneel and a sleeping Natsu. Lucy had learned from the last time she saw Natsu sleeping, not to approach him. She wasn't about to get "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist" punched again. But, she couldn't help but crack a small smile when she saw him lying there snoring. A person would never expect him to be as loud as he was if they only saw him like this.

Lucy slowly got up and creeped around the campsite to where her bag was. Despite her efforts, the dead leaves under her feet still crunched loudly. It was a good thing Natsu was a light sleeper. She quietly slung the bag over her shoulder, and adjusted the strap so that it was tight. As she left the empty clearing, she wondered where Igneel could have gone off to. _'I wonder if he has a mate..' _Lucy shuddered at the thought of meeting a possible 'Mother of Natsu'. But, what if it was Grandine? Then wouldn't Wendy be Natsu's step sister? Lucy shook her head. What was she even thinking?

* * *

_Meanwhile, with Igneel.._

Igneel and a large, purple dragon covered in armor like scales were flying over the large ocean.

"Yes, of course I understand. I was planning to from the beginning.. Even if it meant hurting Natsu, I had to do something to stop Korudo. You know this is the last thing I want to do to him." Igneel replied to the dragon before him.

"I know that it's hard on you. But if it never happened, it will never have hurt Natsu in the first place." The purple dragon flicked its large tail to try and lighten the mood.

"Alright. I will do it. After Natsu takes down Korudo, I will gather him and Lucy and begin the spell." Igneel said reluctantly. "I will see you soon, Murasaki."

She nodded, dipping down out of the sky and heading off into another direction. Igneel continued to fly straight, heading back to where Natsu and Lucy were. He passed through many clouds, until he finally saw the large clearing where they had resided. He broke off the wind current and circled the area. He noticed that Lucy wasn't there, and Natsu was lying passed out in front of a dead tree. Igneel shook his head, and went in for a landing. The magnificent force of his wings pushed the unconscious Natsu across the ground, making him wake up in mid-spin. Igneel landed on the barren ground, creating a giant crater in the earth. Natsu slowly got up, rubbing his eyes.

"Oh, you're back. Where'd ya go, anyways?" He slurred.

Igneel looked away, remembering his conversation with the weapon and armor dragon Murasaki. "No where you should be concerned about. What I would like to know, is where your friend is." Igneel replied, trying to change the subject. Natsu rubbed his eyes while looking around the camp.

"I dunno. I guess she went off somewhere." Natsu mumbled.

Igneel growled angrily. "Then shouldn't you go look for her? Inconsiderate child!"

Natsu pouted. "Fine! You don't have to get so mad about it.." Igneel whacked him with his tail, sending the Dragon Slayer flying into the woods.

"And bring her back before dark!" He yelled.

Natsu flew through the air, screaming in terror. He landed in a large tree, crashing and breaking off branches all the way to the bottom. He landed with a thud in the snow, knocking the wind out of him. Natsu shook his head, sitting up in the hole he made. He slowly got up to his feet, shaking his body so that he wouldn't be covered in snow. Natsu looked around the forest, attempting to gather his senses.

* * *

"It's awfully boring without anyone to talk to." Lucy complained to herself. "I know! I'll summon Loki!" She exclaimed. Lucy grabbed the key from her waist, and called the spirit out.

"Lovely to see you again, Lucy. How may I be of service?" Loki said, bowing. Lucy sighed. "I need someone to talk to while I'm on my way to and at the market." She answered simply.

Loki's eyes lit up. "You mean to say you have finally come to your senses and have asked me out on a date?" He said happily. Lucy sighed.

"No, Loki. I just didn't feel like being bored."

Loki's smile didn't falter. "I'll take it! You'll realize your love for me soon enough." He said smugly. The two walked together, Lucy denying his love request roughly every five minutes. He finally stopped after her threatening to force close his gate and summon someone else. Lucy knew that she would never go out with Loki.. She needed to find the perfect guy. And Loki was NOT him. **(Ouch..)**

After what seemed like a very short walk due to their conversation, Lucy and Loki finally reached the bustling market place. People were swarming everywhere, for Christmas was nearing. The venders were yelling loudly, and all the people were busily looking for the perfect gifts to get their friends and family. The snow fell, covering all the visible things and turning the town a sparkling white. The smells of cooked meat and baking pastries filled the air.

"Hey, Luce, think maybe later we could grab a bite to eat?" Loki tried once again.

Lucy shook her head. "We need to get in and out quick. The less people that see us, the better. We don't want anyone from the guild to catch wind of us being here." She explained. Lucy glanced over at Loki, who pouted in despair.

Loki stopped at the flower vender anyway, and picked up a pack of roses. He paid, then turned and gave them to Lucy who took them with surprise. "Loki, these are pretty and all, but I told you no!" She said, sadly. How far was this man gonna go? Loki sighed, then turned back to the vender who ta[[ed him on the shoulder.

"I don't think you're gonna have much luck, kid. I'd move on. Pretty sure you're already in the friendzone."

Loki looked at the man, horrified. "There is no way I will ever give up on my one true love! I will chase her to the ends of the earth!" Loki proclaimed, gaining many looks from passerbys.

"I'm sorry.. My friend's a bit.. Abnormal." She apologized to the vender, embarrassed. Lucy sighed. They walked side by side along the busy sidewalk, looking from store to store. They went in and out, in and out, buying gift after gift for each guild member. It took much convincing for Loki to allow Lucy to buy any guy his gift, but every time she would trick him by telling him to go and wait for her outside so they could go eat out together. And every time he would fall for it. After buying Gajeel's gift, she met him outside the store.

"Alright.. So far, I have everyone but Porlyusica. I think I'll just get her some potions or something. I don't know." She said. Loki staggered behind her, carrying most of the bags. They piled way over his head, and he had to dodge every other person because he couldn't see in front of him. All he had to guide himself was Lucy's hand which he was holding onto for dear life. She continued to blabber on about Porlyusica, and why she thought she didn't like humans.

***SPOILER WARNING BELOW THIS IF YOU WISH TO SKIP SCROLL DOWN TO NEXT BOLD***

"Is it because she's Grandine's Edolas counterpart? Most Dragons like humans, right Loki?" Lucy thought aloud. Loki let out an 'Uh huh' not really listening to what Lucy was saying.

***SPOILER OVER THANKS TO THOSE WITH STRONG WILL EXCEPT YOU WIZARD OF IZ***

"Then why does she not like us? I guess we'll never know unless we ask.. Oh well." Lucy sighed. She stopped walking for a moment, looking into a building. Loki moaned, thinking they were getting something else for him to carry..

"There it is!" Lucy exclaimed. She ran across the street, heading to the storage compartments. Loki sighed with relief.

"Thank you, Spirit King!" He cried. Loki ran after her across the street, almost dropping the bags and spilling them everywhere. He impatiently waited for her to finish the paperwork to rent a compartment, and then followed her over to where she unlocked it with a key. Loki threw the presents down, and they scattered all across the giant area.

"Thanks, Loki!" She smiled.

Loki sighed. "Any.. time.." He fell over into the chair, exhausted. Lucy laughed, then force closed his gate.

"You've done enough today." She said. Lucy pulled the door closed to the compartment, and locked it tight. She couldn't wait to wrap the presents and put them under the giant tree at the guild! Lucy giggled in excitement. She slung the key into her pack, put away safe in a zipped up pocket, then headed out the door of the storage building. She made her way out of the market, and back to the woods to begin her long walk back to the clearing.

_'I'll bet Natsu will still be asleep when I get back..'_ Lucy thought, chuckling to herself. Honestly.. He could sleep all day if he was allowed to. Lucy trudged through the thick snow, that grew every time she passed through. By now it was up to right above her knees, and she was getting sick of having to sit around by the fire in wet jeans. Lucy observed all the things going on in the forest. Most animals were hibernating, but there was always that one animal that was still out looking for who-knows-what.

The few dead leaves that were left, fell off when a strong breeze blew through the woods. Lucy put her hand over her head, trying to shield herself from the blast of wind. It felt so familiar.. What was it? Oh no.

"Well, if it isn't the one person I was looking for. Lucy, I believe?"

Lucy turned, and looked next to the tree behind her with a mix of fear and anger in her wide eyes.

"What's wrong? Are you afraid because your little pet fire dragon isn't here to protect you?" He provoked. Lucy grit her teeth. What was he getting on about?

"No! I just couldn't stand the sight of your face again, that's all." She retorted angrily.

"Ooh.. There goes that temper again. I love it." He said, smirking. Lucy reached for her keys, getting ready to draw Aquarius from the snow.

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." Korudo whispered. He narrowed his eyes, grinning evilly. Korudo whipped out his arm, sending a large chunk of ice flying into Lucy. It launched into her stomach, sending her flying back into a tree. She hit it with a thump, rebounding off into the snow. Lucy staggered to her feet, clenching her stomach tight with her hand.

"What happened to that anger you had just a moment ago? I want to see it! Show me more!" He yelled. He raised his arms, making the snow around Lucy rise. It overwhelmed her, and swallowed her in a ball of frozen snow.

A muffled voice came out from the snow, and a light burst through it. Lucy fell out, shivering on the cold ground. Aquarius floated above her, clasping her jar tight. She flung the melted snow towards Korudo, turning it into sharp icicles in midair.

"How dare you interrupt my date with Scorpio!" She yelled furiously. Korudo raised his arms, creating a wall of ice that blocked the daggers of ice from hitting him. Lucy got back up to her feet, and pulled out another key.

"Open, gate of the Man-Horse: Sagittarius!" Lucy yelled. The man with the horse head appeared, arrows ready.

"Sagittarius, use the explosive arrows!" She commanded.

"Yes, miss Lucy! Moshi-moshi!" He said. He pulled out three arrows, and fired them at the shield of ice. They created a giant explosion, shattering the wall of ice to pieces. Korudo flew out of the explosion, hand covered in a sheet of ice. He punched Sagittarius straight in the face. The sheet exploded into many shards, sticking into his body and causing him to return to his gate.

"Sagittarius!" Lucy cried. She looked at Korudo, anger flashing in her eyes. Aquarius, not about to be outdone, raised a wave of snow that wrapped Korudo and froze around him rendering him motionless. He laughed maniacally.

"You really are stupid if you think this can stop me!" He said, with an evil smile. The ice around him cracked, and exploded sending shards flying into Aquarius and Lucy. Aquarius returned to her gate, and Lucy fell to her knees as she hurriedly tried to brush off the shards of ice that were stuck into her body. Korudo stood a couple feet away, cackling with evil laughter.

"Where's your flaming friend when you need him? That idiot doesn't deserve you.. Come stay with me and we can rule this freezing world together!" Korudo offered. Lucy glared at him.

"There's no way I would ever join you. Fairy Tail is my home, and I wouldn't leave them even if you offered me the world!" Lucy yelled. She stood up and pulled out her whip, wrapping it around his wrist. She let her magic power flow into it, shocking him. He screamed in agony, falling to his knees. Lucy stopped the flow over power, before she ran out. She staggered, finding it harder to stand up. Korudo glared at her angrily.

"You wench! How dare you! You'll pay for this!" Korudo crossed his arms in front of him, causing waves of snow to smash into Lucy knocking her from behind. Just as she would recover from one, another would come up and knock her back onto her knees. It continued until finally she didn't get up. Lucy gripped her belt, trying to feel for her keys, but Korudo stopped her by having the snow grab her wrist and twist her arm behind her back. Lucy screamed in pain, unable to loosen the grip of the snow.

"How does it feel to be helpless?" Korudo said, walking up to where she lied sprawled out on the ground in pain. "Don't worry.. It'll all be over soon. And to think you were so pretty! Too bad." Korudo raised his arm. Lucy looked up, and saw he had a dagger of ice in his hand. This was it.

"Natsu.." Lucy whispered. "NATSU!"

"You just don't know when to stop, bastard." Korudo paused, and looked over towards where the voice had come from.

"I was hoping you'd join us. Now, watch as I kill your friend. Say goodbye, Natsu!"

It all happened in an instant. Natsu lunged for the dagger, Korudo threw it towards Lucy's back, and she tensed up waiting for the impact of the sharp ice.

_Thump._

"LUCY!"


	8. The True Meaning of Fairy Tail

**Hola amigas y amigos! I have decided to post two chapters on christmas day as a special present :) To be honest guys, I can't wait until I finish this story.. It takes forever to write a chapter, especially with my busy schedule and the fact that I procrastinate. Don't get me wrong though! I love writing, I just need a break is all. Next time a do a chapter a day story, I'll definatly prewrite it. Ok :) I suggest that this chapter you listen to sad fairy tail music.. It fits. Sorry about not saying anything at the end of the last chapter.. Didn't wanna ruin the moment xD Whateves. Here's a heads up: The next few chapters will be short, because I need to stretch the battle out over three chapters. So, here's chapter eight! **

* * *

Natsu stared wide-eyed at the terrible scene in front of him. Lucy was lieing on the ground in front of him with a dagger of ice lodged deep into her pale shoulder. She was motionless, her eyes closed as if she was sleeping.

_'There's no way.. She couldn't possibly..'_ Natsu thought, horrified at even the possibility of Lucy.. No. She wasn't. Natsu came back to his senses, and fell to his knees in front of her. He hesitated to touch her, afraid that he might hurt her further. Then, knowing there was nothing he could do, Natsu stood up. He turned his darkened eyes to Korudo, who stood in front of them laughing.

"The poor girl.. She put up a good fight, but was powerless against me. Just as you will be soon enough. Come, let me test your strength Natsu. Prove to me this whole time you weren't bluffing." Korudo invited. He narrowed his eyes as an evil smirk cast across his face. He raised his arms, and got into a fighting stance.

"You.." He started. Natsu raised his terrifying eyes, causing Korudo to flinch. "You did this to her." He growled. Natsu ignited his hand, and took a step forward threatningly. Korudo took a step back, curious and just the slightest bit afraid of Natsu's Dragon Slayer power.

"And what are you going to do about it?" He provoked, trying to push him further. He wanted more than anything to prove that this pink-haired idiot was bluffing.

"I'm going to give it back to you ten fold!" Natsu yelled. His eyes flashed with anger, and he launched himself punching Korudo with a flaming fist straight across the face. Korudo flew back from the might of the punch, but rebounded off his hands and landed back on his feet. He rubbed the tender spot of his jaw where Natsu had punched him, and let out a slight laugh.

"Is that all you've got?" Korudo challenged. He got back into a fighting stance, preparing for whatever Natsu would throw at him next.

Natsu roared, letting out a wall of fire that dissolved into a wall of ice that Korudo created out of the nearby snow. It cracked, and a few peices chipped off.

"I do believe it's my turn." Korudo said, stepping out from behind his wall. He reached down into the snow that was piled up nearby, and pulled out a long sword of ice. It was jagged and covered with spikes of smaller shards of ice. Korudo rocketed forward at lightning speed brushing the sword past Natsu's arm. The shards that were attatched to it left deep cuts in the side of his shoulder, allowing blood to flow free and wrap around his arm. Natsu stumbled, catching himself before hitting the ground from the force of the sword's attack. He clenched his arm desperatly trying to stop the bleeding before he lost too much blood. There was NO way he was about to lose just yet. It was too early.. And too much was at stake. He glanced over at Lucy, who's shoulder was now completely stained red with blood. It leaked out into the fresh snow, tainting it a dark maroon. He grit his teeth, knowing she had it much worse. He had to take care of Korudo before he lost her.

Natsu brushed the blood off his arm, preparing himself to attack once more. Korudo stood a few feet away, smiling his evil smile.

"You tick me off almost as much as Gray!" Natsu yelled. "And it's not helping that you're an ice wizard!"

Korudo scoffed. "Don't compare me to such lowly people.. I'm nothing like you Fairy Tail scum."

Natsu glared at him. "Gray may be an idiot, but I won't let you talk trash about my guild! I'll show you what we're made of! Fire Dragon's Claw!" He yelled. Natsu launched himself off his feet, and aimed an ignited kick for Korudo. He stopped him with the jagged sword, causing Natsu's feet to be torn up by the small shards of ice. He roared in pain, drawing back his foot.

_'I need to get rid of that sword..' _Natsu thought. He set his body aflame, and ran towards Korudo. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Natsu flew into the sword, shattering it into a million tiny peices of ice. They melted once seperated, and Korudo flew back from the force of the hit. Natsu got up from where he landed, and brushed the small shards off. Korudo got up angrily.

"ENOUGH! To think that you even consider yourself worthy to be my opponent! Minions, take care of him!" Korudo said. He flicked his long cape, and out came tiny little shards of ice. They grew as they flew in midair, and transformed into large, terrifying ice beasts. They surrounded Natsu, five to one, circling around him.

"You don't stand a chance!" Korudo laughed. "Minions of ice, destroy the fire breather!" He commanded. Each of the minions lunged forward, bearing all sorts of weapons. Natsu let off an explosion as he jumped out of the way, sending all the minions flying back. As they got up, some were missing a limb from the firey explosion. Natsu breathed heavily, keeping his eyes on the five ice creatures that surrounded him.

"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" Natsu yelled. He put his fists together, creating a giant ball of fire that expanded and burned all of the minions around him. The began to melt, but after the flames ended slowly grew back by taking up the snow around them and regenerating from it. Natsu clenched his teeth.

"Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang!" He gouged his ignited hand into each of the minions individually, going from one to the other. Korudo watched from the sidelines, somewhat impressed by his durability. Korudo turned his head, looking over to where Lucy had been laying.

_Had been.._

"Where's the girl?!" He said, looking around. Lucy was no longer where she had been laying. Instead, there was nothing but tainted snow. Korudo scanned the forest furiously.

"Looking for me?" Lucy said. Her whip wrapped itself around Korudo's hands, and electrocuted them. He screamed in agony, falling to his knees from the unbearable pain. Lucy stumbled forwards, but held on strong to the whip. After a few seconds, Natsu heard the commotion and looked over to where Korudo was on his knees. Blood dripped from Lucy's shoulder as she strained it farther trying to hold the whip steady.

"Lucy! Stop! Your going to kill yourself!" Natsu yelled while dodging the ice creature's attacks. He dodged the last one just in time to see Lucy's strength finally give out. The whip unwound itself from Korudo, and he slowly brought his hands to assess the damadge. They were badly burned. He clenched his teeth and whirled around, striking Lucy with his foot causing her to fly into a tree. She hit the ground with a thump and slowly tried to get back up. She was only able to get to a sitting position, but she at least got to lean against the tree behind her.

Natsu ran over to her, running right past Korudo who was still on the ground trying to rub snow onto his burned skin. "Lucy!" He cried worriedly. Lucy gave a weak smile, showing she was ok. He kneeled next to her, looking over her torn up and beaten body.

"I.. need you to.. get Virgo's key." She whispered. Natsu nodded, reaching for Lucy's key ring. He pulled off the golden key, and handed it to Lucy. She somehow gathered enough energy to summon her, who already had been prepared with bandadges and medical supplies. Natsu stood up, leaving the maid to do her work. He turned his attention to Korudo, who was almost recovered from the burn of his hands. The minions had fallen to the ground without a master to control them, and melted into the snow. He heard Virgo's gate close behind him, knowing that it was because Lucy had ran out of energy. He grit his teeth.

Korudo stood up angrily. "I have had enough of you lowly Fairies!" He yelled. Korudo covered his hands in ice and punched Natsu again and again. Natsu fell to his knees below Korudo, who stood triumphantly above him.

"How does it feel, Salamander? How does it feel to be helpless? How does it feel to be beat senselessly, and watch the same happen to your friend? I thought Fairy Tail was all about power. Where is that power, Natsu? Where is your power to stop me?"

"Your wrong." Lucy said, slowly stumbling to her feet. "That's not what Fairy Tail is." Her eyes flashed with determination. "Fairy Tail is more than power, or strength! We are a family! And we will never back down against an enemy, or feel helpless! Because we have eachother, and that's what gives us our power!" She said, smiling. "That is something that you lack, Korudo. Friends." Lucy said. "Natsu." She turned her attention to the pink-haired Dragon Slayer, who was making his way back to his feet. "Show him the meaning of Fairy Tail." Natsu grinned his big toothy grin.

"Alright! I'm gettin' all fired up!"

* * *

***Sniff* you tell em, Lucy! Oh man. Sorry for the short chapter, and I'm also sorry to say that the next two ish will be like this. I have to stretch the battle over three chapters, and it's pretty hard. But I'll survive. I always do :) Thanks for reading, and I'll see ya tomorrow! **


	9. Urano Metria!

**It's around this time that I actually start to get excited about Christmas.. The whole impact of it being just two days away, and the fact that you actually don't have school on Monday, is really.. Exciting! I'm just so pumped up right now, I can already tell this is going to be an awesome chapter. So I'll stop blabbing and write! Here it is guys: Chapter Nine x]**

* * *

Knowing that Natsu was ready to fight, Lucy was finally at peace. She lied back down, and closed her eyes with a small smile on her face. Her injuries finally got to her. Natsu looked over, making sure she was ok for the moment. Once he gave it the ok, he turned his attention back to Korudo.

"That's precious. You actually think you stand a chance." Korudo cooed. "Not!" He lunged forwards, aiming to slug Natsu across the face, but was stopped by Natsu's sudden foot to his stomach. Korudo doubled over, grabbing his stomach and gagging. He glared up at Natsu with a horrible evil in his eyes, and spit at his feet.

"You wanted to see the power of Fairy Tail, so I'm not gonna hold back!" He yelled. Natsu roared with a fiery rage, creating a giant burst of fire. It blew Korudo back, knocking him into a tree. He slowly got to his feet, still trying to recover from the kick to his stomach. Korudo wiped his mouth as he stumbled over to face Natsu.

"If you're going to get serious, I might as well get serious myself." Korudo said. He straightened himself out, and rose to his full height in front of Natsu. Natsu sensed an immense magical power coming from him, and backed up.

"Very good, Salamander! You sense my coming attack. But that will do you no good, I'm afriad." Korudo took a step forward with an evil grin smacked across his face. He was wide eyed and scary. He had finally lost his temper, but he never would have guessed it would be someone like Natsu to cause him to do so.

"Ice of the Heavens, rain down!" He yelled. Korudo swung his arms down, creating a giant wave of magical energy for Natsu to sense.

He grit his teeth, preparing for the attack. A small shard of ice crossed in front of Natsu's face, and immidieatly he understood. Natsu looked up just in time to see the giant chunks of ice come crashing down on top of him.

"Goodbye, Salamander!" The large chunk of ice crashed into Natsu, burying him into the snow under it's hefty weight. Korudo cackled evily, watching the rest of the chunks come crashing down around him. One barely missed Lucy, who was just enough awake to dodge it.

"Natsu!" She cried. Lucy tried to get up to over where the chunk of ice had buried him, but stumbled in the snow and fell on her face. She reached out her hand, trying to grab his scarf that was partly under the ice.

_'Wait.. his scarf?'_ Lucy thought. Then, she looked up in the nearby tree. Natsu was crouched on a branch, his scarf no longer around his neck. Natsu had a deep gash in his side, that was changing his dark black vest into a dark red. He looked over at Korudo with a deep anger in his eyes.

_'Good.. He's ok..'_ Lucy thought to herself, relieved. Her eyes glazed over with black, and the last thing she saw was the scarf before she passed out once more.

***a dream, YAY!***

_Lucy stood in the middle of a pitch black room. She was surrounded by giant Lacrima Vision screens, that were completly blank. She stared at them, wondering what they would broadcast. The one to her left came on with a start. It was Natsu, fighting against Borra. She smiled, remembering the time when they first met. He was so odd, and he still was! She heard the one behind her turn on, and she whirled around just to see Natsu attacking Lullaby. He was always leaping into a fight when he had a chance, wasn't he? Lucy turned to the Lacrima on her right, and saw Natsu's back as he defended her against Gajeel. He was always protecting her.._

_ Videos popped up all around Lucy, and surrounded her. She was overwhelmed by all the battles that Natsu had fought. He was always standing up to the enemy, and protecting his friends at any cost. Even though she was dreaming, she heard faintly in the background what was going on. She tried to wake up, but realized she couldn't. _

Natsu got punched in the stomach once again by Korudo, slowly being worn down because of his injury. He needed some fire so that he could heal faster. He looked around desperatly, trying to find some source, but was interrupted once again from one of Korudo's blows.

"Had enough, Salamander?" He prodded. Natsu glared, stumbling back to his feet.

"It won't be enough until I die!" Natsu weakly tried to attack, but was knocked back by Korudo onto his back. Korudo towered over him with a true and sincere evil glare. Korudo was pure hatred, as cold as the ice he was made of.

_Lucy continued to beat on the one Lacrima that showed what was really going on outside of her dream. All she could do was sit back and watch as Natsu was destroyed right before her very eyes. She broke down and fell to her knees, clenching her fists. She had to wake up!_

_ "Wake up, wake up!" Lucy yelled. Tears streamed down her face as she desperatly tried to wake herself up by kocking herself against the giant screen. _

_ "WAKE UP!" Lucy cried. A bright light flashed, and Lucy awoke._

"URANO METRIA!" She yelled. Lucy rose to her feet, and a bright light grew around her. Lucy's eyes glazed over a golden yellow, and she laid them upon her victim. Korudo looked away from Natsu and at Lucy with pure terror. He fell to his knees, now absorbed by the many planets that surrounded him. He looked at her with fear strewn across his face, and raised his arms above his head to sheild himself from the mighty attack. The planets that surrounded them both all colided, creating a giant ball of magic energy.

"Minions!" Korudo yelled. The large ice creatures materialized in front of him, just as the magic ball of energy colided. There was a huge explosion, and everyone was thrown back.

* * *

When the dust cleared, Lucy slowly pushed herself up to her knees. She looked around, and saw Natsu a couple feet away from the tree. He was standing up tall, looking at Korudo who was sprawled out on the ground. Lucy gave a relived smile, and fell onto her back spreading out her arms wide.

"We.. did it.. We did it Natsu." Lucy breathed heavily and closed her eyes.

* * *

**Man, this chapter is even shorter than the last! Oh well.. Sorry :( I'm gonna get working on the next one right away! Should be a lot longer..**


	10. Hang on, Luce!

**Chapter ten! Only two more to go.. I'll let you guys decide how you feel about that. Well, I'm super excited about Christmas! It's Christmas eve, and everyone's buzzing around like it is whenever Natsu happens to be in town. I've sent my friend in Colorado her presents, and I'm hoping they get there on time! I dunno.. Might be too late. For this chapter, I highly suggest listening to Tsuioku Mezameru Tamashii (OST Vol. 2) So, Merry Christmas Eve and here is chapter ten!**

* * *

"Lucy.." Natsu breathed in amazement. She really was powerful. More than most people gave her credit for.. And usually her Urano Metria was much more powerful because she could summon Gemini. He walked over to where she was lying on the ground with a smile on her face, eyes closed.

"Nice goin' Luce!" He broke out into his own toothy grin. Lucy slowly opened her eyes, then they widened in fear.

"Luce, what's-" Natsu's eyes widened as well as he fell across Lucy's stomach. Blood oozed out of his back, as Korudo stood over him with an evil grin.

"I've had enough of the two of you." He snarled. Lucy looked over at Natsu, horrified. He gagged trying to catch his breath.

"N-Natsu!" She gasped. Lucy got up out from under his heavy body, and kneeled down next to him. His eyes flashed with a deep anger as he glared at Korudo. He slowly pushed himself to a sitting position, and groaned at the strain from his back. Lucy looked over at his back, which was covered in blood. She feared for him.. Would they be ok? Then, Lucy knew what she had to do. She forced Natsu to his feet.

"Natsu. You can win. I believe in you." She pulled him into a tight hug, and gave him the rest of her magical energy. "Show him.. What you can do.." Lucy whispered. She slid to her knees, then fell down at Natsu's feet. He felt fine now, but the anger inside him didn't diminish. In fact, he got even more mad. He turned to Korudo, who took a step back. Natsu closed his eyes and drew the magical energy from all around him.

"Dragon Force.. No way.." Korudo whispered to himself. "I was told he hadn't achieved it.." He tripped over a stick behind him, and fell to his knees before Natsu. Natsu walked up to him, and towered above him.

"This, is all your fault. And you're going to pay!" Natsu kicked Korudo in the stomach, and sent him flying into the tree right behind him snapping it in two. Korudo gagged, and got to his feet with anger in his eyes. "Fire Dragon's Crushing Fang!" Natsu yelled. He stabbed his aflame hand into Korudo, and sent him flying across the forest rebounding off a tree. He clutched his stomach as he stumbled forward.

"You'll pay for that! Snow Wave!" Korudo swung his arm around, and a wave of snow smacked Natsu to the side. Another one came up below him, sending him flying into the air.

"Daggers of Ice! Rain down!" Sharp icicles flew down from the sky, but each time they hit Natsu they just melted with a small sizzle.

"Fire Dragon's Wing Slash!" Natsu lit his arms and turned them into giant, fiery whips. They slung and bound themselves around Korudo, sending a shock wave of flames into him. He raised his arms, sending him flying into tree after tree. Natsu finally released the flames as he fell down into the snow. Lighting his hands on fire, Natsu rapidly punched his Korudo. Each punch causes a fiery explosion, knocking him back further and further. Korudo wrapped himself in a ball of ice so that Natsu couldn't reach him. He created a large sword, once again covered in small shards of ice. Natsu continuously punched the solid ice block, with no effect.

"Why don't you come out of that overgrown bubble and fight me like a man!" Natsu yelled. "Great, now I sound like Elfman.." Somewhere in Fiore, Elfman sneezed.

"Gladly." Korudo smirked. He shattered the ice with a massive explosion, sending shards flying into Natsu. They just melted when they made contact, but the explosion still had a small effect on him. Natsu rebounded off his hands, and landed back on his feet sliding back a bit. Korudo stood just meters away, grasping the sword with all his might. Natsu grinned.

"You're gonna try THAT again? Aren't you getting bored?" Natsu laughed at him. Korudo snapped.

"I've had ENOUGH OF YOU!" He lunged forwards, and swung the sword at Natsu. As soon as it made contact with Natsu's fist, it shattered into bits. Korudo's eyes widened. "How did you.. Before you could only.."

Natsu light his hand on fire and punched Korudo in the face. He flew onto his head, burying himself in the snow. Natsu walked over to where he had landed, and began to melt the snow around him.

"Don't try and hide! Come out and fight!" Natsu yelled. Something reached up from the ground, and grabbed his foot. He looked down, and saw an icy hand. It wasn't Korudo's.. It was the snow itself. It pulled him down, and he couldn't break free as it spread and turned to ice around his body. As Natsu was being pulled down into the snow, Korudo rose out from it and stood above him.

"You're done for, Salamander. Say hello to a new world of ice!" Natsu's head finally went under the snow, and there was nothing of him left. Korudo laughed maniacally. "Now I just have to-"

A huge explosion from right below Korudo sent him flying into the air. He came back down with a loud THUD. Natsu emerged from the flurries of snow, his entire body lit. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Natsu threw himself into Korudo, ramming through tree after tree. He tumbled over him, landing on his feet. Korudo lied sprawled across the ground in the snow. He growled angrily, then sunk into the snow. Natsu looked around, trying to sense where he would attack from.

Out of nowhere, a giant shard of ice came flying into Natsu's stomach. Korudo materialized behind him, punching him in the back then kicking him down with his limbs covered in ice.

"You see, Salamander, my body is made from Ice itself. There is no way you can defeat me.. I'll just regenerate like my minions did!" Korudo laughed at Natsu who got back on his feet.

"You think it's funny seeing others in pain?" Natsu growled. "I'll beat you until you can't smile anymore! Hidden Fire Form - Crimson Lotus: Phoenix Blade!" Natsu roared, igniting his entire body on fire. Just the massive force from his fire alone caused Korudo to fall back in terror. He looked up, wide-eyed just long enough to see the one man who defeated him. Natsu released the built up power, and let it explode. The giant wave of fire burned everything around him, creating a large circle of melted snow.

After the dust cleared, Natsu walked over to where Korudo was sprawled across the ground. "I told you not to mess with Fairy Tail. Now join the rest of this melted snow! Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!" The circle of flames sent Korudo flying, and right before he disappeared, he saw the bright white of snow.

_'Even though I may not have been able to share this wonderful gift with the world, at least I can become part of it myself.' _Korudo smiled, and he disappeared into the snowflakes that surrounded him.

"Man.. That is one creepy dude." Natsu said, after Korudo turned to snow. He looked over at Lucy, who hadn't moved the whole time. She was okay, right? Natsu cautiously made his way over to where she was, making sure not to make her sink into the snow.

"Oi, Luce, you ok?" Natsu lowered himself to his knees. He peered over her, who's eyes were closed. "Oh, you're asleep!" Natsu yelled. He whipped his hand over his mouth, silencing himself. He cocked his head to the side then lowered it next to her face to see if she was still breathing. Natsu flinched. Nothing.

"Luce! Hey, Lucy! Wake up!" He said, shaking her roughly by the shoulder. The moment where she gave him the last of her energy played back in his mind. What if.. She gave him too much? Natsu panicked, and shook her harder. Just the thought of Lucy not being with him anymore.. He couldn't stand it. There was just something about her, that he couldn't live without. He _needed_ Lucy, as much as she needed him right now.

"Lucy! Can you hear me?!" He stared at her pale, white face. She wasn't breathing. She wasn't waking up. He couldn't hear her soft heartbeat. Natsu grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her onto his back. "Hang on tight! You're gonna make it!"

* * *

**NO! LUCY, DON'T DIE! Heh.. I know what happens! Can't wait to update tomorrow.. See ya then! Merry Christmas Eve!**


	11. A Tooth, a Ring, and Memory Loss!

**This chapter makes me so sad :( And it's not helping that I'm listening to sad Fairy Tail music.. Or the fact that my favorite necklace that my friend gave me who moved away shattered in the middle of writing this chapter.. Oh well.. Guess it had to happen eventually. Don't wanna alter the Fairy Tail story line too much. Merry Christmas, guys! I got a piano, loads of candy, iTunes cards, clothes, and a bunch of other fun stuff. Hope you've had a great day as well! The final two chapters today: Here's Eleven!**

* * *

Natsu sat impatiently on the branch of Porlyusica's home. He listened intently to the noises below him, as Porlyusica helped Lucy regain her magic power. It had been almost an hour since Natsu had taken Lucy here, and he still wasn't aloud to come inside! He wanted to know how Lucy was doing, if she would make it..

"Natsu." A gruff voice called from above him. Natsu looked up, annoyed at whatever was interrupting his thoughts.

"Oh. It's just you." Natsu sighed, realizing that is was Igneel who was flying above him.

"JUST me?!" He roared defensively. "You stupid child! Be more respectful to your elders!"

Natsu huffed. "Fine. What is it?"

Igneel was taken aback by Natsu's calmness. Usually, he would have been a bit more reluctant to agree than that. "What's bothering you, Natsu?" Igneel said, raising an eyebrow curiously.

"Just Lucy.. Porlyusica won't tell me if she's alright or not." Natsu looked down at his hands, which he fidgeted with nervously.

"I'm sure she's fine. After all, she is your partner." Igneel said, nudging Natsu with his tail. Natsu nodded his head, but still had that worried look in his eye.

"Natsu, what is it about Lucy that's making you worry so much?" Igneel asked.

Natsu thought for a moment. "I don't really know how to explain it, but just the thought of losing her.. It hurts me more than losing anyone else. She makes me feel weird." He explained. "But what I don't get is why?"

Igneel nodded understandingly. "Lucy is a special girl, that I can tell. Her magic power is immense. It even challenges yours." He motioned to Natsu with his nose. "I don't think it's that she makes you feel weird, more that she makes you feel special." Igneel explained. He studied Natsu, who's face was hardened into concentration on his words.

"But what does that mean? If Lucy is special, then what should I do?" Natsu asked trying to understand what Igneel was saying.

"Natsu, in time you will come to see that you will need one special person in your life. You may already know them, and you may come to meet them later on. And when you realize that you can't live without them, then you'll know that's the one." Igneel answered.

"But all of my friends.. Master, Erza, Happy, and the rest of the guild.. I would be devastated if they were gone." Natsu said.

"But who is it that you can't live without?"

Suddenly, it all made sense to Natsu. He stood up, with a big smile on his face. "I understand now. Thanks, Igneel." He said, grabbing onto Igneel's huge snout to give him a hug.

Igneel closed his eyes. He would miss Natsu.. And he hated what he was about to do to him. Natsu jumped off, and landed in front of the door to the tree house.

_'I understand.. I know who I can't live without. She's been there all along.. And I never even realized it. I'm going to tell her.. L-'_

"I'm sorry, Natsu." Igneel whispered to himself. He rose to his full height, and towered above Natsu. Right as he lied his hand on the door knob, Igneel roared.

A bright light filled the forest of Magnolia, blinding everyone.

"Lucy." Natsu said, after the bright light slowly faded away. For some reason, that name was on his mind. He paused for a moment, before turning the door knob. Where was he? Porlyusica's? Why was he here? Lucy's inside.. But why? Natsu could smell something.. It was here recently.. Wait. He knew that smell. Natsu darted his head to the top of the tree.

"Igneel?" He wondered aloud. No one was there. "I could've sworn.. Oh well." He shrugged his shoulders and continued to go in.

Lucy was sitting up in bed, rubbing her shoulder which was covered in a bandage. Natsu had a sudden wave of relief, but wasn't sure why. What was it that happened again? He couldn't remember. Natsu closed his eyes, concentrating hard.

"Natsu, is something wrong?" Lucy asked, looking over at him. His eyes where squeezed shut, and his arms were folded. He was definitely trying to think of something, so he was ignoring her. Speaking of thinking, why was she at Porlyusica's?

"What.. Happened?" Lucy asked, turning to look at the pink haired unfriendly woman.

"Don't you remember, human? You tripped in your house and stabbed yourself with that writing pen of yours!" She yelled.

Lucy blinked, her eyes wide. "I did?" She thought for a moment, slowly an image of falling came to her mind. "Oh yeah.. I think I remember that." Lucy said thoughtfully. "Well, I won't bother you anymore. I'll head on back home and rest up. Thank you very much for your help!" She said, slowly getting out of bed. Lucy winced from the pain of moving her shoulder. _'Did I really land on it that hard?' _She thought.

Natsu finally gave up on remembering after hearing Porlyusica. He noticed Lucy having trouble, and walked over to her. "You ok, Luce?" He asked, looking over her beaten and worn body that was covered in bandages.

"Yeah.. I must've taken a really hard fall!" She said, observing her injuries. Lucy straightened her back and walked to the door of the tree. "Thanks again!" She called, waving goodbye. Porlyusica crossed her arms and looked away.

"Be more careful next time!" She yelled, slamming the door behind them. Lucy jumped from the sudden bang. Porlyusica leaned against her door. "Stupid kids.. the things Igneel do for them. You better come back and see Natsu like you promised." She whispered to herself.

"Wow.. How long was I there?" Lucy said, turning to Natsu who had begun walking beside her.

"Beats me.. I can't remember a thing after going to the market to buy some stuff." He said, crossing his arms behind his head. Lucy nodded.

"Neither can I.. It's like I just completely forgot about everything when I got home from the guild." She said thoughtfully. Lucy strained her brain, trying to remember the events of the past few days. Images came up, but they were so unclear that she wasn't sure if it was from a dream, or just her mind playing tricks on her.

"That's so odd." Lucy said. They walked together in silence, both trying to figure out what had happened. Finally, after a long walk, they reached Natsu's small cottage.

"LUCCCCYYYY!" Happy yelled, flying out of the open door. He rammed into her chest, nearly knocking her over. Natsu jumped back in surprise. "We were all soo worried about you!" He cried, looking up at her with tears in his eyes. Lucy blinked.

"Oh, yeah! I got hurt, didn't I?" She said. Happy nodded, finally detaching himself from her.

"Oi, Happy!" Natsu called. Happy floated over to him with a big smile on his face. " How're the guilds Christmas preparations going?" Natsu asked, trying to change the subject. It hurt his head just trying to think about it. Happy thought for a moment.

"Pretty good, I suppose. We're almost done.. We just need Virgo to help with the outdoor stuff. We were waiting for Lucy to wake up, but Virgo came through the gate by herself and helped us out." Happy explained. "Now, all that's left is for people to bring in their gifts!"

Happy's eyes widened. "Oh, I almost forgot! Natsu, come with me!" Happy yelled. He took Natsu by the arm, and dragged him into their home locking the door behind them. Lucy stood there, confused.

"I'll see you later, then?" She said. Lucy began the long walk back to her house.

* * *

Natsu stood in the middle of his house, watching Happy as he flew around the room hurriedly. He threw stuff around, desperately trying to find something. Natsu dodged item after item as it was flung around the area.

"Found it!" Happy yelled exclaimed. He cautiously flew over to where he stood, and placed a small velvet box in Natsu's hands. Natsu stiffened. A scene played in his head.. Him, being taken away into the sky and this box falling from his hands. When was that?

"Where did you get this, Happy?" Natsu asked. Happy shrugged.

"I was flying through the forest to get some berries, and I saw this! Inside there was a note that said 'To Lucy, the best partner ever!' So I figured it was from you. I was meaning to give it to you sooner, but forgot." Happy explained. Suddenly, Natsu remembered. He had gone to the market to get this for Lucy.. Then went to the guild then the forest. After that, he couldn't remember anything. The next thing he knew, he was at Porlyusica's.

"Thanks, little buddy!" Natsu said, giving him a good rub on the head. Happy smiled, well, happily.

"Aye!"

* * *

Lucy sifted through her small bag that she had at Porlyusica's. It felt oddly heavy.. And she didn't remember owning anything that would add this much weight to her bag! She pulled out many things. A blanket, a change of clothes that were torn up, her keys and whip, and at the bottom.. Something large and heavy. Lucy peered inside her bag, staring at something that was porcelain white and hard as bone. She struggled trying to get it out of her bag, it was so heavy!

Lucy finally decided on pulling down the bag around it. The item was a large tooth with a small note attached to it.

_To Natsu, from Lucy._

Did she get this for Natsu? Wait.. was this a dragon's tooth? Lucy jumped up and ran over to her book shelf. Ever since Levy had given her this book on Dragons, Lucy had been fascinated by them, and what it was like for Natsu growing up. She pulled it off the shelf and lied it down on her desk. The pages of the book cracked as new books did as she opened it up to a page she had marked earlier.

_The Dragon's Tooth. _

_ A dragon's tooth is obviously very large compared to a humans. They are usually the size of an average person's whole back, and are incredibly sharp. They have sets of teeth just like most animals, and the fangs are especially rare for they have only four out of many other rows of teeth. No one has come close enough to a dragon to count, but the average Dragon had roughly three rows of teeth on each upper and lower region of the mouth. They were always a striking white, and looked as if they were made from bones or the ivory from an elephants tusk. _

Lucy looked at the picture in the book of the Dragon's tooth, and compared it to the one that was lying in the middle of her room. Exactly the same. Lucy breathed in awe.

"Where did I even get this?" She said, dropping the book and running over to where the tooth was. She gently rubbed her hand over it, feeling the rough jagged lines of where it had chomped down on it's prey. What if it was Igneels? Lucy thought for a moment.

"I have to show this to Natsu. Apparently, I was already planning on giving it to him for his secret Santa gift.. Amazing that I drew him of all people." She stood up, admiring the small treasure. "Natsu's gonna love it!"

* * *

**Yeah.. So sad that Igneel had to erase everyone's memory of what had happened :( They forgot everything.. Natsu forgot how to control Dragon Force, ever meeting Igneel, meeting Korudo, and the same for Lucy. All that training was for nothing! All because Igneel was never supposed to have made contact with them in the first place. Don't worry.. I read somewhere that all the Dragons will return for some feast or something and they'll be reunited with their 'children'. :) Alright, Chapter two up soon!**


	12. And a Fairy Tail Christmas to You Too!

**Well, it's been a pleasure writing for you guys.. I love all the feedback you guys give :) I'm glad you like my stories, and be ready to look for more sometime soon. I'll post on my profile updates for that.. Anyways, here's the final Chapter for A Fairy Tail Christmas. Have a Fairy Tail Christmas!**

* * *

"Hey, Mira, mind passing me another drink?" Macao called to the young bartender. She turned to him with a smile.

"Sure! One moment!" Mira replied with her sing-song voice. She whisked up the other bar-sitter's drinks, and put them in the sink where Kinana began scrubbing away. She pulled out a new, fresh glass, and filled it with Macao's favorite drink. She slid it down the bar, the drink landing perfectly in front of him.

"Thanks!" He said.

"No problem!" She said back.

The whole guild was lively for the Christmas Party they were throwing. Music played in the back ground, people yelling and laughing loudly at their tables with their fellow guild mates. People talking and gossiping about the relationships, (Mostly Mira..) and people just having a good time and enjoying their refreshments.

Lucy walked into the double doors that were propped open, but one of Freed's barriers kept the snow and cold air from coming in. Instantly, as soon as she passed the barrier, Lucy felt increasingly warmer. She sighed in relief, thinking that it would be freezing as usual. Lucy shrugged off her jacket, and walked over to the small table to join her friend Levy. Levy was sitting with the rest of Shadow Gear, and a very annoyed Gajeel.

"Lu-Chan!" Levy yelled excitedly, throwing her tiny arms around her friend. Gajeel huffed.

"Women.." He muttered.

"How are you? Do you feel better? Did you get rid of that pen like I advised you to?" Levy asked, overwhelming Lucy with all of her questions.

She thought for a moment, trying to process what Levy had asked. "Better, more than before, and.. yeah. It was covered in my shoulder's blood, so I couldn't really use it." Lucy said. She had lied about the last part, because she hadn't even seen the pen when she came back home. Odd.. maybe someone came over and got rid of it?

Lucy piled up her presents on the table. She had remembered earlier that she had a compartment full of presents she had bought for her friends, but she couldn't remember when she had gotten them. There were a lot of things she couldn't remember. Maybe, after the party, she could meditate and try to remember.

"Who are those for?" Levy asked, poking the enormous pile of presents. Gajeel perked up a bit, interested in the word 'presents'. Maybe, there was one for him..

"Everyone in the guild, of course!" Lucy said obviously. "Mind helping me carry them to put under the giant tree?" She asked. Levy smiled big.

"Sure, I-"

"I'll help, Bunny girl." Gajeel said, lifting up the entire stack of presents with one hand. Lucy stood back, in amazement. He sure was odd..

"Um, thanks.. Gajeel." She said awkwardly. He nodded back. Levy giggled.

"He can be such a softie sometimes, can't he?" Levy said to Lucy. Lucy smiled back, slyly.

"I knew it! You DO like him!" She giggled. Levy's face turned bright red.

"I d-do not! Well I like him,"

"I KNEW IT!" Lucy yelled excitedly. Levy panicked even more.

"No no no no! Not like that! Like a friend!"

"But you still said you like him.."

"NO! Lu-chan, you're twisting my words around!" Levy cried. She put her face in her hands, trying to hide her embarrasment.

"It's ok. I won't say anything!" Lucy pat her friends back reassuringly. Levy sat up, smiling her own sly smile.

"So.. I heard Natsu came to visit you while you were at Porlyusica's!" She prodded.

Lucy blinked. "Yes, and?"

"Well? You two walked home alone.. Riiight?"

"Yes..?"

"Did anything happen?"

Now Lucy's face went red. "Wh-what?! No! Natsu's just my partner!" Lucy exclaimed, embarrassed. She looked over at where Natsu was standing on a table, looking down at Gray, who was yelling at him for being on the table. Natsu was yelling back he could do what he wanted, and that he should put his pants back on.

"Suuureee..." Levy said, giggling. Lucy glared daggers at the small bluenette. Soon after their conversation, and after Gajeel came back from sifting through the presents to see if Lucy had gotten HIM one, Mira walked up to the small stage, standing in front of the large Christmas tree that held everyone's presents. She tapped the microphone, gaining everyone's attention.

"First off, I'd like to say Hello! And welcome to Fairy Tail's first annual Christmas Party!" She said, throwing up a bit of confetti. The guild clapped and whooped excitedly.

"Tonight, there will be three events and then the Secret Santa. The first event of tonight will be a race! We've set up an obstacle course that everyone will race through, and whoever gets to the finish line first wins! And here's the thing.." Mira said, making the room go silent. "There are absolutely no rules. You can use your magic, even fly," Mira said, looking at Happy, Carla and Lily. Happy smiled, getting a reluctant high-five from Carla. Lily went over to where Gajeel was standing, forming a plan with him to win. "Just make sure you don't go TOO overboard.. Alright, everyone head outside!" Mira instructed. She grabbed the microphone, and walked outside behind the rest of the crowd. The entire guild piled in front of the starting line. The course stretched to about one mile, an easy feat for most members. Natsu and Gray lined up in front, ready to beat each other. Natsu WOULD have paired with Happy, but he had already made Carla fly with him. And also, Natsu wanted to beat Gray with his own abilities.

"Alright, guys! You know the non-rules. So. On your mark," Natsu glared at Gray. "Get set," Gray glared back, sticking his tongue out. "GO!" All the Fairy Tail members took off, running as fast as possible. All except Natsu. He smirked, and ignited his arms. They turned into giant whips, and he flung them around the two beginning poles. Gray looked back at him like he was crazy.

"Bye, underpants man!" Natsu laughed, and slung himself across the course. He flew over the obstacles, passing over person after person.

"YOU FLAME-HEADED IDIOT!" Gray yelled. Natsu looked back, sticking his tongue out at him in response.

"YOUR JUST JEALOUS!" He called, while flying through the air. He looked down, getting ready to land. Then, Natsu realized that he was upside down.

"Damn.." He muttered. Natsu head dived into a pile of mud, creating a huge splash and flinging it all over the other racers.

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Erza yelled furiously. She requiped into her Flight Armor, taking off and bolting into Natsu with her sword. She stopped, right in front of him, then poked him. Natsu flew into the air, screaming.

"KYAAA!" He yelled. Natsu used his fire as leverage, and catapulted him self to right before the finish line. Then, he stepped over with one foot.

"I WIN!" He yelled, jumping up and down.

"..second. You won second place." Lucy said, walking up to him with a smirk on her face. Natsu went pale.

"B-but.. But how did you?" He stuttered. Lucy laughed. Virgo stepped out from behind her, bowing.

"I dug a tunnel underneath the course and carried her here." She explained. Natsu stood there, shocked.

"CHEATER!"

* * *

"The second event," Mira said, talking over the loud breathing of all the people who finished the course. "is a magic-off! Everyone will battle eachother, and whoever hasn't collapsed from magic-loss wins!" Everyone stared at Mira. That's kinda harsh.. some people muttered. "Begin!"

Natsu let out a giant roar, making an explosion of fire. It knocked down most people around him, except for the stronger ones. "Beat that!" He yelled.

"Ice Make: Bomb!" Gray yelled from behind Natsu. A huge ball of ice appeared above them, and exploded into a million shards of ice and powdered snow. It covered everyone, except Natsu. It just melted whenever it touched him.

All the members were fighting each other, still going strong. Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, and Elfman were going all-out and pretty soon, out of magic power. They all fell over in exhaustion, and eventually, as did everyone else.

"Who won?" Mira said, looking around.

"Me! She yelled, excitedly." Came Horologium's voice. He closed the gate, and Lucy stepped out triumphantly. "I was in there the whole time, and I didn't even use hardly any energy!" She said, smugly. Mira applauded her.

"We have a winner!"

* * *

"Alright, guys, the final event for tonight! Cake-baking!" Mira said. "This is my favorite part, because I get to test out the cake!" The master came up behind her, and tapped her on the shoulder. She leaned down, and he whispered something in her ear. "Along with the master.." She said, a bit deflated from having to share the cookies. He smiled behind her. "We've set up a bunch of stuff for baking, so go ahead! The winner for best cookies will be served later. Begin!" She said.

All the members began to cook viciously. Natsu punched the dough roughly, almost ripping it in two. Everyone else was doing average, but being Fairy Tail, there was already a huge mess throughout the guild. Flour covered everything, and icing decorated the counters. Natsu finally gave up after burning his cake for the fifth time. Maybe using his own fire wasn't the best idea..

Finally, everyone came up to give their cakes to the master and Mira. Natsu's final cake was not as burned as the rest, but still pretty charcoaly. Gray's was basically the batter, frozen mixed with a little ice. Gajeel's was made of iron, and Juvia's water. Everyone's cake was pitiful, all but one.

"Erza, this is delicious!" Mira said, taking another bite of the strawberry cake. Erza nodded, accepting the compliment. "I think we have a winner! What do you think, Master?" Mira said, turning to him. His eyes were filled with tears. Of joy.

"Please.. Make another!" He begged.

"If that is what you wish." Erza requiped into her baking 'armor', and began to make another.

"Erza, how did you know how to make such an amazing cake?" Mira asked.

"I wanted to know how to make my favorite.. So I just kept practicing." Erza answered plainly. Mira shook her head and smiled.

"Amazing!"

* * *

Finally, it was time for Secret Santa. Everyone was pumped up to receive their gifts, especially Gajeel. No one knew why, but he REALLY wanted a gift.

"Alright everyone, gather round! Can I get a volunteer to pass out the gifts?" Mira said, scanning the large crowd. Gajeel immediately walked over, and took the gift out of Mira's hands. He handed it to Wakaba, who passed it down the row of people until it got to it's owner. Mira laughed.

"Seems like you've already got the hang of it! I'll leave you to it then." Mira said, walking off the stage. Gajeel continued to gather the presents and pass them down through the crowd, keeping a small pile in the front of the stage of presents that belonged to him. After a while, he finally got them all passed out. He grabbed his pile of presents, and went and plopped down next to Levy. She laughed.

"What's up with you and presents?" She asked. Gajeel looked away, not really wanting to answer the question. "Oh, come on. You can tell me!" She prodded. Gajeel sighed and turned back to her with steely eyes.

"I never got a present before. Always wondered what it was like, ok? You gotta problem with that?!" He asked, annoyed. Levy backed off pouting.

"Sorry I asked!" She turned her attention back to the stage, where Mira was trying to gather everyone.

"Ok! So, here's how it works. You all got your gift that you were going to give to your Santa. So, when I say go, you have to go and find your person and give them their gift! Once everyone has their gift, go sit at a table and wait to open your presents." Mira instructed. "Ready?" Everyone eagerly got ready to make a mad dash to their person. "Set?" Natsu fell over, he was leaning so much. "GO!" It was a frenzy. People were looking for people, gifts were being thrown into the air, and there was a lot of yelling.

Lucy pushed through the crowd, looking for Natsu. "Natsu! Naaatsu!" She called, looking for any sign of pink hair. She finally saw his bright pink hair. His back was to her, as he was looking around for his own person. As Lucy was getting to him, someone tripped her by accident. She landed with a thud, the present falling in front of her out stretched hands. She looked up, and saw him standing over her looking the opposite way. Then, Lucy got the worst headache ever. A picture popped into her mind.. It was very vague, but she could at least see what was going on. There she was, lying in the snow, with Natsu standing over her once again as he was now. What was this? Another memory like she had gotten earlier? No.. it had to be a dream. But, even if it was, Lucy smiled. Natsu would always protect her.

"Luce? Why are you on the ground?" Natsu said, bringing her back to reality.

"O-oh!" She said, getting up. Her face was bright red. "I just.. tripped. Um, here's your present." She handed it to him, almost stacking it on top of a small box he had in his hands.

_'That looked like.. No.. It couldn't be..'_ Lucy thought, studying the box. She hesitated before handing it him, then slowly placed it in his free hands.

"So you were my secret santa?" He said, looking at the large present she had put in his right hand. "Why is it so heavy?" He asked, lifting it up and down. Lucy giggled.

"You'll see.. Anyways," she drew in a deep breath, slightly afraid to ask. "Who's your person?" Natsu looked at the small box in his hands, then back at Lucy.

"Oh, yeah! It's you!" He thrust the tiny velvet box into her hands, and smiled a big toothy grin. "Merry Christmas, Lucy!"

Lucy's face was so red, she felt like she could breath fire just like Natsu. "Th-thanks, Natsu." She said, smiling.

"No problem!"

After another good ten minutes of people finding others, they all settled down at a table. Natsu, Happy, and Lucy took the bar since it was the only non-crowded spot. Mira walked up to the stage, and motioned for everyone to open their presents.

"Merry Christmas!" She said, pulling a string that hung from the ceiling next to her. Balloons fell all over the guild, people popping them and bouncing them around as they opened presents and ate food. Lucy smiled, looking around at the guild. It was good to be home. She turned her attention back to Natsu, who had been staring at her intently.

"Can I help you?" She asked, slightly embarrassed.

"Open it!" He yelled excitedly.

"O-ok.." Lucy stuttered. She slowly untied the ribbon of the box, and cautiously opened it. Inside was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen! It was a light orange-brown, just like her eyes. It was set in a gold ring, that matched her hair color perfectly.

"Natsu! It's beautiful!" She exclaimed. Then, she noticed the small note that was attached to it.

'_This ring is made from a stone only found in Magnolia, called the Stone of Mages. It symbolizes the power of a bond between the mages in our guilds. Wizards often give it to their guild mates, teammates, or partners_ _that are special or close to them.'_

Lucy read aloud. She smiled. _'I never knew Natsu cared that much.. He must've gone through a lot of trouble to get this!' _She thought. _'He can be so sweet sometimes..'_

Lucy slid the ring on her finger, admiring the way it looked. Tears came to her eyes, and Natsu panicked.

"Wh-what?! Was there something wrong with it?! Do you not like that color? Why are you crying?!" He asked, worriedly. Lucy threw her arms around him, catching Natsu by surprise.

"Lucy.."

"I love it, Natsu. Thank you." She pulled back, smiling at him. Natsu may be dense, loud, and annoying, but he was also one of the nicest people she'd ever met. And Lucy didn't think she could live on this earth without him here to be her partner.

"No problem!"

Lucy looked at the large gift that sat in front of Natsu on the counter. "Why don't you open your present?"

"Aye, open it Natsu!" Happy exclaimed, ripping off a piece of paper with his tiny paw. Natsu ripped the rest off excited. He opened the large box, and saw something triangular wrapped in paper. He slowly pulled it out, setting it down gently on the counter.

"Paper.. just what I.. wanted?" Natsu said awkwardly.

"You idiot! Take the paper off!" Lucy yelled.

"I knew that! I was just trying to be considerate of the paper here." He said back defensively. Natsu tore the paper off, and his eyes hardened when he saw what it was.

"Where did you get this?" He asked seriously, turning to Lucy. She shook her head.

"I found it in my bag earlier.. It said 'To Natsu from Lucy.' I did some research on it, and found out that it was a Dragon's tooth." Lucy explained. Natsu looked over it once again.

"Definitely. But it's the smell that's catching me.."

"It smells like Igneel, doesn't it?" Lucy asked sadly.

"Yeah. Think he put it there?"

"Maybe." Lucy said, smiling. "But I'm sure wherever Igneel is, he sure is proud of you." Another image popped into Lucy's head. It was a red creature, flying off into the night. But before she could think anymore about it, everyone in the guild heard a loud roar come from outside. Natsu jumped up and sprinted outside, looking at the sky. Lucy right behind him. They got there just in time to see a large creature fly across the moon, then disappear into the night.

Lucy looked over at Natsu, who was staring at the moon with a big smile on his face.

"Wanna go after him?" Lucy offered.

"No.. Something tells me he just wanted to say goodbye. And that he'll be back soon." Natsu answered. "I want to see him, but it's not the right time yet."

Lucy nodded, understanding. "Natsu, I'm sure that one day you'll see him again. And when you do, make sure you take me with you!" She smiled at him. Natsu smiled back.

"Don't you worry. I'll find him. And when I do, you'll be there by my side! Because we're partners, and we stick together!" They high fived eachother, then headed back into the guild where everyone was finishing unwrapping their presents.

Mira stepped back up to the stage. "I just wanted to say to everyone before we all leave and go home.." Mira said, Makarov coming up behind her with a beer. He jumped up, and yelled "HAVE A FAIRY TAIL CHRISTMAS!"

The guild cheered and yelled back, "AND A FAIRY TAIL CHRISTMAS TO YOU TOO!"


End file.
